skip to content

Quality Management Teaching & Studying

Awarding and Withdrawal of Accreditation

On the basis of the self-report and its attachments, the expert group's report and, if applicable, the expert opinion, the Accreditation Committee has issued a justified decision recommendation to the Rectorate. The subject of the review and the decision recommendation are therefore always the quality criteria, which must be met in terms of form and content.

The Rectorate, as the highest authority for the accreditation decision, bases its decision on the preliminary deliberation of the Accreditation Committee. The Committee was appointed as an objective body in consultation with the Faculties and the central institutions. It examines whether the report covers all the necessary criteria and has a consistent message. On the basis of the available documentation, it assesses the extent to which the recommendations and conditions proposed by the experts contribute to ensuring and developing the quality of the degree programmes, and the extent to which the wording can be implemented. Conditions serve to ensure quality, and that the corresponding legal regulations are implemented; recommendations serve to further develop the programme.

Before the Rectorate makes a decision, the subject experts and the Faculty are given the opportunity to submit written comments about the Accreditation Committee’s recommendation. The final decision about (re)accreditation and any associated conditions and recommendations is made by the Rectorate. The Rectorate may deviate from the recommendation of the Accreditation Committee as part of its legal supervision of the proper conduct of the teaching and learning programmes, but must give specific reasons for any deviating decision. The Rectorate has the option to grant (re)accreditation with or without conditions or to reject (re)accreditation with a reasoned decision. The system distinguishes between three scenarios:

  • Scenario 1: The (re)accreditation procedure concludes with a positive decision by the Rectorate and no conditions are imposed. The degree programme is entitled to bear the seal of the Accreditation Council for the specified duration of the accreditation, usually eight years.
  • Scenario 2: The (re)accreditation procedure concludes with a positive decision by the Rectorate, with imposed conditions. The degree programme is entitled to use the seal of the Accreditation Council for the specified duration of the accreditation, provided that the conditions are met within the specified deadlines, usually within twelve months. The conditions will be documented in the quality report.
  • Scenario 3: The (re)accreditation procedure concludes with a negative decision by the Rectorate. If the Rectorate decides not to (re)accredit a degree programme, this basically means that the degree programme in question may not be established or must be discontinued. In this case, the Faculty has the right to appeal the decision.

The dean’s offices and the subject experts are responsible for the timely fulfilment of the requirements. If the degree programme requires a deadline extension in order to fulfil the conditions, this can be requested once from the Accreditation Committee via the Faculty QM. The relevant documents must be submitted to the Secretariat of the Accreditation Committee by the deadline to prove compliance. The Accreditation Committee discusses whether it considers the requirements to be met. External experts (assessors) may also be consulted on technical issues. In the next step, the Committee’s vote, the documents, and if applicable, the expert opinion is submitted to the Rectorate, which then decides whether the degree programme may continue to bear the seal of the Accreditation Council.