About International Quality Review
International Quality Review (IQR) has been specially developedby the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) toprovide accreditation for your institution against internationallyrecognised standards. It enables institutions worldwide to
demonstrate that they meet European standards for quality
assurance in higher education, providing trust and confidence forstudents and international partners.

Benefits of IQR:
Demonstrate effective quality assurance measured
against international benchmarks
Strengthen your global positioning
Drive improvement and excellence
Develop partnerships with UK institutions
As a member of the IQR community you will have the chance toshare best practice with institutions around the world. IQR alsooffers the opportunity of continuing professional development
through the provision of a free delegate place at QAA’s
International Quality Assurance Programme.

Having a QAA International Quality Review
enhances our Institute’s reputation,competitiveness and global image. Our Review
enabled us to assure students and parents that
all our programmes meet European standards.
Dr Vong Chuk Kwan, President,
Macao Institute for Tourism Studies

What is involved?
IQR is designed to analyse your approach to quality assurance.
The review will:§§ challenge your existing quality assurance processes§§ benchmark them against the Standards and Guidelines for 		Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)§§ support you to drive improvement through quality processes.
During an IQR we consider how an institution’s policies andprocesses help it to meet each of the 10 Standards for Internal
Quality Assurance of the ESG:§§ Policy for quality assurance§§ Design and approval of programmes§§ Student-centred learning, teaching and assessment§§ Student admission, progression, recognition and certification§§ Teaching staff§§ Learning resources and student support§§ Information management§§ Public information§§ Ongoing monitoring and periodic review of programmes§§ Cyclical external quality assurance

International Quality Review, offered by QAA
to overseas providers, is established as awell-documented and demanding process,fully in line with the ESG.
ENQA review report on QAA, 2018

Five stages of IQR

1Application

You apply and submit initial information. We assess yourapplication and determine whether you are eligible for IQR.

2Scoping

We visit you in person (or virtually if necessary) to gather
information, meet key staff and students, explain the IQR process
and answer any questions. This enables both you and us todecide whether to proceed with IQR. If we do not recommend afull review, we indicate what needs to change.

3Review

You prepare a self-evaluation document and supporting
evidence which you send to us. The review team analyses
the evidence submitted and visits your institution(virtually if necessary) to judge whether you meet the ESG.
After the review we let you know our key findings.

4Accreditation

If your institution meets all the standards the review panel will
put forward a recommendation to the QAA Accreditation Panel.
The accreditation is for five years and is subject to a satisfactory
mid-cycle review. Your institution’s IQR report will be publishedon the QAA website.
A successful IQR means that you are
officially accredited by QAA. You will
be able to use the IQR Accreditation
Badge on your website and marketing
materials, which shows that you areaccredited by us against internationallyrecognised standards.

5Accredited byThe Quality Assurance Agency
Valid XX/20XX - XX/20XX

Mid-cycle review

The mid-cycle review takes place two to three years after asuccessful review and is normally desk-based. If both theScoping and Review stage visits are conducted virtually,
the Mid-cycle Review will include an in-person visit.

Find out more about the IQR process by watching ourintroductory video.

Case Study

Amity University Uttar Pradesh, India
Amity University Uttar Pradesh is part of the Amity Education
Group - a large provider of education in India and beyond.
Following their International Quality Review in April 2018,
benefits for the University resulting from this process included:§§ improvements in academic audit and quality assurance 		
processes§§ sharing of information across multiple campuses§§ development of a new faculty in learning, teaching and 		assessing in higher education.

IQR was a phenomenal learning experience forthe improvement of our university’s processes.
QAA supported and guided us at every stage.
We felt delighted to work with QAA to achieve
the prestigious accreditation of IQR.
Prof (Dr) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor,
Amity University Uttar Pradesh, India

About QAAQAA is a well-established, trusted agency with over 20 years’
experience in assuring the standards and quality of UK higher
education. We are the Designated Quality Body for England andconduct quality reviews across the UK. As an agency, QAA has aworldwide reputation and we play a leading role in international
developments in quality assurance. We have completed over 45
country-based reviews of UK transnational education (TNE).
We are a full member of the European Association for Quality
Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), European Quality
Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) and theInternational Network for Quality Assurance Agencies inHigher Education (INQAAHE). QAA is an observer of the
Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN).

Undoubtedly, QAA accreditation will further
strengthen AU’s positioning on the global
map of higher education and continue todrive improvement and excellence.
Dr Karim Seghir, Chancellor,
Ajman University, United Arab Emirates

Find out more
www.qaa.ac.uk/iqr
accreditation@qaa.ac.uk
Find out more about the IQR process by watching ourintroductory video.

© The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education 2021
Registered charity numbers 1062746 and SC037786

www.qaa.ac.uk