Institutional Internal Quality Assurance Systems

The Internal Quality Assurance System (SAIC) is the mechanism through which the institution or its campuses coordinate quality assurance in the areas of teaching, research, technology transfer, and community engagement. The certificate of implementation of the SIGC is a requirement for the institutional accreditation of universities. ANECA certifies the SAICs through the AUDIT program, which is valid for the institutional accreditation of Spanish universities in any Autonomous Community.

The EHEA and Spanish regulations stipulate that universities must have formally established and publicly available policies and Internal Quality Assurance Systems (SAIC), which is why ANECA developed the AUDIT Program in 2007 to encourage and promote the development and implementation of internal quality assurance systems within Spanish universities, and to implement a procedure leading to the recognition and certification of such systems.

Subsequently, it was expanded through AUDIT International in response to demand from various international organizations to certify the quality assurance systems of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) located in third countries and/or geographic regions, as a proven tool that contributes to improving the quality of their degree programs and, consequently, the satisfaction of their stakeholders.

The AUDIT program applies the following official rates, which are mandatory and have been approved by the Department of the Treasury: AUDIT rates.

The EHEA and the relevant Spanish regulations establish that universities are required to have implemented Internal Quality Assurance Systems (IQASs) and policies, which must be formally established and publicly available. Therefore, in 2007, ANECA developed the AUDIT procedure in order to foster and promote the development and implementation of internal quality assurance systems in Spanish universities and to offer a procedure that leads to the recognition and certification of such systems.

Subsequently, the AUDIT International procedure  was extended in response to the demand from various international organisations to have the quality assurance systems of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in third-party countries and/or regions certified as well, as this certification has been proven useful to improve the quality of degrees and, therefore, to ensure that the stakeholders of such HEIs are satisfied.

ANECA has established that the procedure to submit requests is to send an e-mail to the following e-mail address:  audit@aneca.es ​​​​​​

Supporting documents and tools

  • This guide provides an overview of the key features of the AUDIT International program, the model’s requirements, and various guidelines to help higher education institutions better understand it.

    READ THE GUIDE

  • Higher education institutions interested in participating in the program should complete the form provided and send it to audit@aneca.es

    ACCES FORM

  • All higher education institutions interested in certifying the implementation of a SAIC based on the AUDIT Model at any of their campuses must use one of the two established channels, depending on their specific purpose:

    • If the objective is to obtain SAIC certification for the first time, or to renew it (during the design or implementation phase), independently of an institutional accreditation renewal process, they must complete and submit the form accessible via the attached link:

    DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FOR CENTER CERTIFICATION AUDIT

    • If the goal is to renew SAIC certification as part of a combined process for renewing Institutional Accreditation (SAIC + Official Degrees), you must complete and submit the form accessible via the link below:

    DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATE FOR SUBMITTING THE SELF-EVALUATION REPORT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION RENEWAL

Supporting documents and tools

  • AUDIT Guide supporting procedure. These guidelines summarizes the main characteristics of the AUDIT International Programme, the full set of requirements of this model, as well as several instructions to make the system better understandable for Higher Education Institutions
  • Adherence request to the AUDIT procedure.  Higher Education Institutions interested in joining the Programme must complete the attached model and send it to the following e-mail address: audit@aneca.es.

Application for certification audits of Higher Education centres. All Higher Education institutions interested in certifying the implementation of an IQAS based on the AUDIT Model in any of their centres must use one of the two established channels, according to their different purposes:

  • If the objective is to obtain for the first time, or renew the certification of the SAIC (in its design or implementation phase), independently from a process of renewal of the Institutional Accreditation, they must complete and submit the form that can be accessed via the attached link:

 

Download Documento Application for centre certification audit
  • If the objective is to renew the SAIC certification within the framework of a coupled process of renewal of Institutional Accreditation (SAIC + Official Degrees), they must complete and submit the form which can be accessed via the attached link:

Download Documento Template for the presentation of the Self-evaluation Report for the Renewal of Institutional Accreditation

Regulations governing the AUDIT Procedure

  • Royal Decree 640/2021, of 27 July, on the creation, recognition and authorisation of universities and university centres, and institutional accreditation of university centres.
  • Resolution of 3 March 2022, on the General Secretariat of Universities, which establishes the guidelines for an institutional accreditation procedure for centres in public and private educational institutions, as well as the Protocol for the certification of internal quality assurance systems, and the Protocol for the assessment procedure for the accreditation renewal of university centres, as approved by the General Conference for University Policies. 
  • Agreement of the Spanish Network of University Quality Agencies (REACU) on the procedure for assessing those degrees taught across several centres within the framework of the institutional accreditation protocols of university centres.

AUDIT Program Guidelines

  • Royal Decree 640/2021, dated July 27, on the establishment, recognition, and authorization of universities and higher education institutions, and the institutional accreditation of higher education institutions.

    READ ROYAL DECREE

  • Resolution of March 3, 2022, of the General Secretariat for Universities, issuing instructions on the procedure for the institutional accreditation of public and private universities, and publishing the Protocol for the Certification of Internal Quality Assurance Systems at University Institutions and the Protocol for the Evaluation Procedure for the Renewal of Institutional Accreditation of University Institutions, approved by the General Conference on University Policy.

    READ RESOLUTION

  • Agreement of the Spanish Network of University Quality Agencies (REACU) on the Procedure for Evaluating Cases of Degrees Offered at Multiple Institutions within the Framework of Institutional Accreditation Protocols for Higher Education Institutions.

    READ AGREEMENT

Evaluation reports

Tables show the list of universities or centres that have obtained a certificate on the design and implantation of its Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS) pursuant to the AUDIT procedure model and the reports drawn up by ANECA, after completing the corresponding assessment and/or audit proceedings and having proven that they comply adequately with the quality criteria and guidelines established in this model. 

Reports from National  Universities: 

Reports from International Universities:

General guidelines for the processes

The AUDIT evaluation model is aligned with the  Criteria and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), providing universities with support in their efforts to comply with the recommendations for internal quality assurance.

It is carried out in three clearly defined stages:

  • 1. Guidelines for the Design of SAICs

    1. Guidelines for the Design of SAICs

    The agency provides guidance to the centers on designing internal quality assurance systems for the programs they offer.

  • 2. Certification of the design of SAICs

    2. Certification of the design of SAICs

    At this stage, a procedure is implemented for the review and certification of the design of these systems by external quality assurance agencies.

  • 3. Certification of the implemented SAICs:

    3. Certification of the implemented SAICs:

    Once the SAIC design has been certified, the center begins implementation, and subsequently, the agency certifies the SAIC implemented at the center.

In addition, it is highly recommended that the interested HEI submit a brief dossier (less than ten pages) containing specific information regarding its progress toward obtaining any national or international accreditations—for undergraduate programs, master’s programs, and/or the institution as a whole—that it may currently hold, as well as details on the organization of its quality assurance structure and the objectives it hopes to achieve through this project. The sole purpose is to enable ANECA to assess the level of institutional commitment and the starting point of the interested HEI, in order to determine whether its profile is suitable for successful participation in this program.

If so, ANECA will send the HEI a model collaboration agreement, which defines the mode of participation and the objectives of each of the stages to be carried out.

Once an agreement has been signed, HEIs are invited to begin designing and certifying their Internal Quality Assurance System (SAIC), as well as its subsequent implementation and certification, in each of their colleges or schools.

 

 

 

Process general guidelines

The AUDIT assessment model is aligned with the criteria and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), and is intended to support for those universities that aim to comply with the recommendations for internal quality assurance.

This model encompasses three clearly defined phases:

  1. Guidelines for IQAS design: the agency provides Centres with guidelines to design Internal Quality Assurance Systems for the programmes taught in such centres.
  2. IQAS design certification: in this stage, a procedure for the recognition and certification of said systems by external quality assurance agencies is deployed.
  3. Certification of implemented IQAS: after the IQAS design has been certified, the centre starts to implement this system and, subsequently, the agency certifies the IQAS that is to be implemented in this centre.

Additionally, it is highly recommended that the involved Higher Education Institutions submit a summarized report (of under 10 pages) including specific information regarding the degree of development of the procedure for obtaining accreditations, either national or international, for university degrees or masters’ degrees, or institutional accreditations, that they may teach at this time, as well as a detailed description of its quality structure, and the goals that they intend to achieve with this project. The sole purpose of this is to enable ANECA to assess the degree of institutional commitment and the starting position of the Higher Education Institution involved, for the purposes of assessing whether its profile is appropriate to successfully take part in this procedure.

When this is the case, ANECA will send to IES a model of the collaboration agreement in which the participation methods and the purposes of each phase must be clearly defined.

Once that there is a signed agreement, the Higher Education Institution is invited to start designing and obtaining certification for its Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS), as well as working on its future implementation and certification in each of the university’s centres.

Public fees  

The AUDIT procedure applies the following official fees that have been approved by the Spanish Treasury and must be complied with:  AUDIT procedure fees. 

Commission evaluators

For the evaluation of Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS) designs in accordance with the AUDIT model, ANECA has a panel of experts, consisting of a chair, a secretary, and up to three members.

In the case of evaluating the implementation of SAICs in any of the centers presented by the applicant university, the evaluation committee will be made up of a team of auditors who are experts in SAICs, and in particular in the AUDIT model. As a general rule, an audit team may be composed of a chief auditor, an auditor, an auditor in training, and/or a student, chosen from among those approved by ANECA to perform this task.

All persons who evaluate or audit undergo a training process prior to their participation in the program.

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