Confidence in quality

The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) has been established by the Dutch and Flemish governments as an independent accreditation body. NVAO operates on both a binational and international level. The NVAO conclusions underpin the recognition of higher education programmes and ensure that students receive worthy degrees.

About NVAO

Procedure

Recognise a new programme

New programmes are first subjected to initial accreditation at NVAO, a procedure to assess their potential quality. After a few years, a newly recognised programma can obtain a first accreditation.

Review existing programme

Each programme must periodically attain a programme accreditation. How this review is organised is based on the type of institution.

Review existing institution

All the institutions in Flanders that are recognised as a university college or university are periodically subjected to an institutional review. In the Netherlands, an institution can participate in an Institutional Accreditation.

Recognise a new institution

#non-recognised institutions
Higher education institutions need to be recognised by the Flemish and Dutch government before they can organise accredited programmes, issue recognised degrees and, if necessary, be eligible for funding.

QUALITY AGREEMENTS

The Quality Agreements are assessed by NVAO. They pertain to the study advance funds allocated to institutions for the improvement of the quality of education.

quality assurance systems

The Netherlands, Flanders and Luxembourg each have their own quality assurance system, an integrated system for external quality assurance. A quality assurance system includes the various procedures and conditions for obtaining accreditation. All NVAO procedures are based on assessment frameworks.

Quality assurance system of The Nederlands
Quality assurance system of Flanders
Quality assurance system in Luxembourg

 

Decisions and reports search

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Members reviewpanel

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Alumni & students

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

NEWS

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A Blueprint for Futureproof Higher Education
11/10/2024

Today, the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) presented the results of the system-wide analysis "Futureproof Curricula" at a well-attended launch event. The overview report, "Futureproof Curricula: Building Blocks for Futureproof Higher Education", outlines the key steps needed to make higher education future-ready. This analysis was the result of an intensive year in which nine higher education institutions shared their knowledge and experiences to develop innovative teaching methods that respond to the rapidly changing labor market and society.

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Overview report: Bachelor of Nursing
16/02/2023

QUALITY THROUGH RESILIENCE & INNOVATION; THESE ARE THE FLEMISH BACHELOR PROGRAMMES IN NURSING

NVAO has confidence in the quality of the Bachelor's degree programmes in Nursing. This is evident from the overview report published by NVAO on the assessments of these programmes. However, this was not the case in 2015, when NVAO issued negative accreditation decisions for all these nursing programmes. What followed was a thorough reform of the curriculum and an extension of the duration of studies. NVAO’s overview report sketches a general picture of the assessment procedures and the substantive findings of the assessment panels. The report concludes with NVAO's insights and policy recommendations.

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A route map for high-quality work-based learning in higher education
08/11/2022

Together with experts from the field, NVAO Netherlands has worked on a guide that can inspire study programmes, students and organisations in the (further) development of work-based learning. The guide 'A route map for high-quality work-based learning in higher education' describes a system that can contribute to the dialogue on the quality of work-based learning within higher education and is therefore also relevant for review panels responsible for the assessment of study programmes with work-based learning in the programme.

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