Programme accreditation in accordance with FIBAA quality requirements

How long does a programme accreditation process take?

The programme accreditation process usually takes six months from the submission of the self-evaluation report of the higher education institution to a decision taken by the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee (F-ACC). After the conclusion of the contract, FIBAA will contact you to agree upon a suitable schedule with you.

What standards are used in the programme accreditation process?

• Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) of 2015

• Equal-European MBA-Guidelines

• ECTS-Guidelines

• Common "Dublin-Descriptors"

• Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon Recognition Convention)

• Decisions of the FIBAA Accreditation Commission for Programmes (F-AC PROG) as the predecessor of the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee (F-ACC):

  • Part-time offers and feasibility of the study (Decision of the F-AC PROG of 28.02.2005, changed on 29.11.2012)

  • Subsequent submission of documents by the higher education institution as part of the statement on the expert report (Decision of the F-AC PROG of 28.09.2012)

These are summarised in the FIBAA Assessment Guide for accreditation of study programmes in law, social sciences and economics (April 2020) as well as in the FIBAA Assessment Guide for doctoral programmes (June 2013) for postgraduate study programmes.

How should we produce our self-evaluation report?

For a Programme accreditation in accordance with the FIBAA quality standards the self-evaluation report should be produced on the basis of the FIBAA Assessment Guide. The documents contain all relevant quality standards in the form of questions and definitions for the benchmarks.

By when should the self-evaluation report be submitted to FIBAA?

Submit your self-evaluation no later than one year after signing the contract. You will discuss a schedule with the programme accreditation department manager after the contract has been concluded.

How many copies of the self-evaluation report should a HEI send to FIBAA?

FIBAA requires a copy in digital form.

What happens after the HEI has submitted its self-evaluation report?

After submission of the self-documentation, FIBAA will appoint a project manager who will coordinate the procedure and be available to you as a contact person for the duration of the entire procedure. The project manager will schedule the review in consultation with you. Afterwards, the relevant expert committee appoints a team of experts. After the self-evaluation report has been checked for completeness by FIBAA, the review panel will check it for consistency, plausibility and conformity with the respective guidelines and specifications. This is followed by the assessment.

How are the FIBAA Experts chosen?

The assessment of study programmes follows along the lines of the "Peer-Review" process proven in the academic field: Independent Expert Teams selected according to professional criteria check and assess the objective facts and circumstances with the HEI "on an equal footing". A strict FIBAA criteria system ensures impartial and reasonable expertise at all times.

In principle, an Expert Team consists of at least four people, two of them from science (university or technical college professors), one from professional practice (company representative) and one student member. Depending on the subject of assessment, these may be expanded to include certain expertise.

FIBAA has a pool of more than 750 recognised experts.

FIBAA bases the appointment of Expert Teams on a number of requirements, which also include knowledge of accreditation processes. FIBAA therefore regularly offers training courses and seminars for its pool of experts.

You will be informed of the composition of the Expert Team in due time. In order to ensure the impartiality of the Expert Team, FIBAA gives you the opportunity to make a reasoned objection. However, the higher education institution has no right of proposal or veto.

How is the assessment organised?

The assessment takes place at the higher education institution site, digitally or a mix of the two, over 1,5 to 2 days by arrangement depending on the number of study programmes to be accredited and the space available.

The Expert Team obtains a comprehensive picture of the study programme of the higher education institution and the involvement of all those involved through discussions with the higher education institution management, the teaching staff, the students, the graduates and the administrative staff.

The Expert Team then prepares an assessment report with a decision recommendation. This assessment report is the basis for the decision of the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee (F-ACC).

Which decisions can the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee (F-ACC) make?

FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee may decide upon either

• accreditation without conditions,

• accreditation with conditions, or

• refusal of accreditation.

On the basis of the report, the decision recommendation of the review panel and by taking into account your statement on the report, the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee will decide on your application for accreditation.

For how long are the study programmes being accredited?

Programme Accreditation:

• National FIBAA seal

  • Accreditation in conjunction with the AR seal (Legal basis from 01.01.2018): eight years

  • Initial accreditation: five years

  • Re-accreditation: seven years

• International FIBAA seal:

  • Initial accreditation: five years

  • Re-accreditation: seven years

In the case of accreditation with conditions, the duration of the accreditation may be shortened.

What happens after a positive accreditation decision?

After a positive accreditation according to the FIBAA quality standards, you will receive the FIBAA quality seal for accredited programmes. The accreditation results, the names of the assessors involved as well as the complete reports (taking into account the data protection requirements) are published on the FIBAA homepage ( ->)

What happens after a negative accreditation decision?

If the accreditation of a study programme is denied, a new accreditation may be applied for after a blocking period of one year.

What happens in the case of an accreditation with conditions?

Within the deadline set by the FIBAA Committee (usually 9 months), you must provide evidence of compliance with the agreed condition (s) by email to auflagen[at]fibaa.org. When fulfilling conditions, please note the handout on fulfilling conditions, which we will be happy to send you with the decision of the FIBAA Committee and upon request.

Your submitted evidence will be checked directly by the assessors in the case of content-related requirements, and in the FIBAA office in the case of formal requirements. On the basis of the opinion of the Assessor Team and/or the office, the FIBAA Committee decides on the fulfilment of the condition (s).

If the fulfilment of the requirement cannot be proven on time, you may, in justified cases, request a one-time extension of the deadline (max. 6 months). Otherwise, FIBAA is obliged to withdraw the accreditation for the study programme after issuing a reminder and setting a reasonable grace period.

In which case does FIBAA award the FIBAA Premium Seal?

FIBAA awards the FIBAA Premium Seal to study programmes that have already established themselves on the market and that demonstrate excellent quality in study and teaching as part of an accreditation process in accordance with the international quality standards of FIBAA. This award confirms that a study programme is of outstanding quality overall. It gives prospective students, students, graduates, higher education institutions, continuing education institutions and the job market reliable orientation about the quality of the study programme.

Information on the principles for awarding the FIBAA Premium Seal can be found here:

Can changes be made to an already accredited course?

Changes to a accredited study programme are possible and are expressly desired as continuous improvement and updating.

If these changes are of a significant nature (e.g. new university location, new specialisation, change in the name of the study programme) and affect the conception or profile of a study programme, they must be disclosed to FIBAA.

FIBAA then checks whether the changes could reduce the quality and whether a new assessment would then be necessary. FIBAA decides whether the process may be shortened in individual cases and e.g. a telephone conference with the higher education institution or an assessment based on written documents is also possible.

If you are unsure whether a change needs to be disclosed, FIBAA will be happy to answer any questions you may have at info@fibaa.org.

Can the accreditation be withdrawn? If so, in which cases?

In some cases, FIBAA is obliged to withdraw the accreditation (after issuing a reminder and setting a deadline). This is the case,

• if the higher education institution does not meet the requirements within the specified period or

• the higher education institution does not notify the accreditation agency of notifiable changes, although these substantially affect the basis of the original accreditation.

How often do the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee meet?

The FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee meets approximately four times a year at intervals of about three months. The dates are announced here on the FIBAA homepage. As a general rule, we already agree with you on the desired date for referral to the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Committee when you submit your self-evaluation report.