Malta has been a Governmental Member of EQAR since 2008.
Focus of external quality assurance
Institutional audit All institutions, including self-accrediting ones, have to be reviewed and audited periodically by NCFHE as part of the External Quality Assurance process as defined by NCFHE.
Programme accreditation Education institutions (whether national, international, public or private) must have their programme audits approved by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE). By exception, public institutions that have a 'self-accrediting status' established by NCFHE do not need to submit programmes for accreditation if these fall within the scope of the Malta Qualification Framework (MQF) level of their self-accrediting status. They would need to do so if they intend to provide programmes that exceed the MQF level of their self-accrediting status.
Can higher education institutions choose a suitable EQAR-registered agency?
Yes, under certain conditions:
Eligibility requirements for foreign agencies: Prior approval by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE) is required for suitability, language proficiency, capacity and experience. The audit process and the terms of reference must be reviewed and approved by NCFHE before the audit process begins.
Conditions for the agencies’ work (e.g. criteria to be used): The external quality assurance agency has to follow the accreditation criteria set out in the national legislation governing further and higher education and, therefore, also all relevant regulations and communications issued by NCFHE.
Recognition of reviews carried out by foreign agencies: The final decision is taken by the NCFHE on the result of the accreditation procedure.
Self-accrediting public higher education institutions in Malta can employ the European Approach for the Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes i.e. the University of Malta; the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology; and the Institute for Tourism Studies.
Countries recognising EQAR-registered agencies as part of the national requirements for external QA
Countries recognising foreign agencies based on their own, specific framework or requirements
Countries not open to external QA evaluation by a foreign QA agency
1 All references to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, on this site shall be understood in full compliance with United Nation’s Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
