“Quality higher education is not the bed of roses of the privileged. Rather, it is the borderless process of producing globally competent human resources to address the geo-environmental, techno-economic, socio-political, and psycho-cognitive issues and make the world better place to live”

• -EQAAC, Nepal

QAA- At a Glance

The system of Quality Assurance and Accreditation (QAA) in Nepal was first introduced in 2007 AD as one of the major components of the Second Higher Education Project (SHEP), a project granted and technically supported by International Development Agency (IDA)/The World Bank. The 7-years (2007-2014) project was implemented by the University Grants Commission (UGC). To steer the system of QAA, UGC Nepal formed a 21-members Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council (QAAC) under the chairmanship of the UGC Chair, representing experts, professional councils, industrialists and students.  The Quality Assurance and Accreditation Division (QAAD) was established within the UGC as a secretariat to the Council, headed by Director. 

To practically bring the system of QAA in the higher education sector of Nepal, nine potential HEIs were selected and were provided with technical and financial support so they could achieve the accreditation requirement. The formative assessment process has been adopted to help increase the competency of HEIs in QAA process since the beginning.  Year 2009 has been the first milestone for the QAA system of Nepal since the first time in the history, an HEI was accredited. Balkumari College, located in Bharatpur, Chitwan was the first HEI to receive the accreditation certificate.

Sixteen years completed since the QAA system was establishment in Nepal, the momentum for maturity is gradually growing. Today, on the one hand, it has been recognized as regular system under the UGC governance through ‘Educational Quality Assurance and Accreditation Regulation (EQAAR) – 2074’ and on the other hand, it has got wider reach, acknowledgement and acceptance among the HEIs of Nepal. The increasing number of HEIs willing to align under this process itself is an indication of widening scope of QAA system in the country.

Current scenario of the HEIs participating in QAA process can be observed as following:

Note: The data excludes the HEIs in re-accreditation process i.e. on different stages.

Details:            Accredited HEIs- 82 out of which 10 HEIs are re-accredited.

                                7 HEIs out of Re-accredited HEIs are in different stages of QAA process for third cycle.

                                Similarly, 11 HEIs are in different stages of QAA process for second cycle.