Institutional Accreditation in the First Quarter of 2026: Strength and Confidence in the University System

Between January and April 2026, ANECA participated in the institutional accreditation process for seven university centers and one doctoral school.

Specifically, institutional accreditation was renewed for several centers at the University of Extremadura (University Center of Mérida, Faculty of Sciences, School of Industrial Engineering, and Polytechnic School) and the University of Murcia (Faculty of Chemistry and Faculty of Economics and Business). In addition, initial institutional accreditation was granted to the Polytechnic School of Mieres (University of Oviedo).

Regarding Doctoral Schools, the International Doctoral School of the Catholic University of Murcia (EIDUCAM) has been the first this year to receive a favorable Initial Institutional Accreditation report from ANECA. This favorable evaluation joins that already obtained by the Doctoral School of the Public University of Navarre in 2025, meaning there are currently two Doctoral Schools with Initial Institutional Accreditation.

ANECA plays a vital role in strengthening the Spanish university system through the evaluation and renewal of institutional accreditations.

To this end, within its remit, it has several of its own institutional evaluation programs for university centers, including Doctoral Schools, which have a specific evaluation mechanism. ANECA can also participate in the renewal process for this accreditation: a comprehensive evaluation process that includes the preparation of self-assessment reports, evaluation by expert panels, on-site visits to university centers, and the evaluation for certification of an internal quality assurance system.

This set of accreditations reflects not only ANECA's strategic role as guarantor of university quality, but also demonstrates how centers approach institutional accreditation from a strategic perspective, integrating it into their overall planning and using it as a lever to strengthen aspects such as autonomy, credibility, transparency, and shared responsibility within these institutions. Accreditation is thus consolidated as an instrument that transcends the purely evaluative to become an institutional driver of quality.