What Accreditations Exist for German Universities?
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of Higher Education Institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if relevant requirements are being met. To ensure the quality of education, each and every organization has to comply with rules and regulations designed by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Standing Conference: The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz or KMZ), established in 1948 by an agreement between the states of the Federal Republic of Germany, ensures quality development and continuity in tertiary education. Bachelor’s and master’s programs must be accredited in accordance with a resolution of the Kultusministerkonferenz.
The German Council of Science and Humanities: The German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenshaftsrat or WR) was founded in 1958 and conducts institutional accreditation of non-state higher education institutions and reports on the proposal review of non-state higher education institutions in the course of foundation at the request of individual states.
Accreditation Council: The Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programs in Germany or Accreditation Council (Akkreditierungsrat) was established in 2004 in a KMK resolution to certify accreditation agencies and establish guidelines and criteria for programs and system accreditation.
At Berlin International all the programs are accredited!
System accreditation
Berlin International was institutionally accredited by the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) in 2019 and meets all the requirements for state recognition. The accreditation was granted for five years.
Program accreditation
In addition to the university, all study programs must also be accredited. This is done by the Accreditation Council. All study programs at Berlin International are accredited in cooperation with the accreditation agency ACQUIN e.V. (Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute). All courses at BI are either accredited or in the process of (re)accreditation.
More about the German system accreditation
State or state-recognised higher education institutions in Germany can be the subject of system accreditation of their internal quality assurance. A positive system accreditation certifies that the higher education institution's quality management system in the field of study and teaching is suitable for ensuring that the qualification goals and quality standards of its study programs are achieved.
Program accreditation
Bachelor’s and master’s programs offered by state or state-recognised higher education institutions in Germany can also be the subject of program accreditation. If the accreditation procedure is successful, it will receive a limited accreditation with or without conditions and will bear the accreditation agency’s seal of quality for the period of its accreditation.
Accreditation agencies
The following agencies have been authorised by the Accreditation Council to operate in Germany:
- AAQ Swiss Agency for Accreditation and Quality Assurance
- ACQUIN Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute
- AHPGS Accreditation Agency in Health and Social Sciences
- AKAST Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Canonical Programs
- AQ Austria Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria
- AQAS Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programs
- ASIIN Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics
- evalag Evaluation Agency Baden-Württemberg
- FIBAA Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation
- MusiQue Music Quality Enhancement
- ZEvA Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency
Thank you for taking the time to read our article on what accreditations exist for German universities. If you are interested in studying in Berlin, take a look at the various study programs we offer.
Feel free to reach out to our Admissions & Student Affairs team at any time via application@berlin-international.de.
