For Enhancing Quality
in Higher Education

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) wasestablished in 1947. Since then, we have consistently led
the development and implementation of higher education
quality assurance in Japan. We encourage and support
universities’ improvement through accreditation and itsresearch.
In recent years, higher education has come to play a
crucial role in supporting socio-economic growth andKyosuke Nagata,Ph.D.
President of
the University of Tsukuba

global competitiveness. At the same time, the demandfor quality assurance of higher education institutions isincreasing throughout the world. JUAA plays an importantrole as a quality assurance agency in Japan. We will continue
to strengthen cooperation and collaboration with higher
education institutions and relevant organizations both inJapan and abroad to support higher education.

ABOUT USJUAA is a voluntary (non-profit) organization that was established on July 8, 1947, taking
several U.S. accreditation organizations as a model. For its establishment, 46 universities
gathered and approved the University Standards. We have been implementing accreditation
since 1951 using these University Standards.
We are the first Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Agency for universities certified by the
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2004. We currently
perform Certified Evaluation and Accreditation in nine fields.
We have a membership system (full or associate) with more than 460 members (national andlocal public and private universities) that account for 60% of all the universities in Japan. For
our members, we hold seminars and workshops, among other events.

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation, a national mandatory evaluation and accreditation
scheme for higher education in Japan, was introduced in 2004 to assure and enhance thequality of academic activities.
In this scheme, all higher education institutions must undergo external evaluation once every
seven years, and all professional graduate schools must undergo it once every five years.

OUR MISSION
Our mission is “to promote the qualitative improvement of higher education institutions inJapan through the voluntary efforts and mutual assistance of member institutions and tocontribute to international cooperation such as educational and research activities in higher
education institutions.”
To fulfill this mission, we are engaged in the following three activities.

Accreditation

We will assure the public of thequality of university education
through evaluation, andcontinuously support theimprovement and enhancementof universities.

ResearchWe will improve the evaluation
system and contribute to thequalitative improvement ofuniversities through research on
domestic and international
higher education.

InternationalCooperation

We will collaborate withoverseas quality assurance
agencies and support
international development ofuniversities.

Types of Accreditation
Institutional Accreditation

University,Junior College

Program Accreditation
Business School, Law School,School of Digital Contents, School of Global Communications,
School of Intellectual Property Studies,
School of Public Health, School of Public Policy
School of Veterinary Medicine※：Certified Evaluation and Accreditation

ACCREDITATIONThe objective of JUAA’s evaluation is to assure the quality of universities for society and provide
support for their further improvement. In our evaluation, we focus on the internal quality
assurance system and evaluate with emphasis on its effectiveness.
As a result of the evaluation, the university that meets the standards is given an accreditation
mark.

University Standards

Evaluation Process1Mission and Purpose

1 Submit Self-study Report

2

Internal Quality Assurance

3

Educational and Research Organization

4

Educational Program and LearningOutcomes5

Student Enrollment

6Faculty and Faculty Organization

7Student Support

8Education and Research Environment

9Social Cooperation and Contribution

10 University Management and Finance

2 Document Analysis
3 Site Visit
4 Notify the Draft of the Accreditation Results
5 Notify the Accreditation Results
6 Improvement & Submit Progress Report
7 Progress Report Review & Notify the Results

You can see the accreditation results on our website.

https://www.juaa.or.jp/en/accreditation/result.html
You can also check the JUAA accreditation mark on university
websites, etc.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONWith the ongoing globalization of higher education, it has become imperative to enhance its
compatibility and credibility. In order to contribute to the promotion of internationalization ofuniversities, we are working to ensure cooperation with overseas quality assurance institutions
and international recognition of quality assurance.
Partnerships
INQAAHE

APQN

AAPBS

International Network for Quality
Assurance Agencies in Higher Education

Asia-Pacific Quality Network

Association of Asia-Pacific Business SchoolsEFMD

HEEACTKCUE & KUAI

European Foundation forManagement Development

Higher Education
Evaluation andAccreditation Council ofTaiwan

Korean Council for University Education& Korean University Accreditation
InstituteMQAONESQA

TWAEA

Malaysian
Qualifications Agency

Office for National
Education, Standard andQuality Assessment

Taiwan Assessment and Evaluation
Association

International Joint Accreditation Project by JUAA & TWAEA▶ Starts in 2019
▶ Targets universities that aim

at internationalization▶ The Standards are as follows:Standard 1

Mission, Goals & Strategy

Standard 2

Internal Quality AssuranceStandard 3

Teaching & LearningStandard 4

FacultyStandard 5

Social Connection

Standard 6Governance

RESEARCH
For improve our evaluation system and support the quality enhancement of universities, welaunched the Research Institute. In the Research Institute, we research on matters of higher
education, and the results are published as reports and review journals, etc.

Our recent activities are as follows:● Research for internal quality assurance / learning outcomes (published as handbook)● Survey and research for effectiveness of university evaluation● Research for quality assurance and improvement in educator preparation(2017 MEXT Project)c/o 2-7-13 Ichigayasadohara-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo,
162-0842 Japan
Tel:+81-3-6228-1315 E-mail: intl@juaa.or.jp
https://www.juaa.or.jp/en/index.html