Legal Framework

Legal Framework of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance System

The legal framework governing the higher education and quality assurance system in Montenegro consists of the Law on Higher Education, the Law on Academic Integrity, as well as a set of standards and by-laws.

The strategic framework for the higher education system is defined by the Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in Montenegro.

The Law on Higher Education (October 2025) stipulates that quality assurance in higher education is carried out by the Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (HEQA), in accordance with European standards and guidelines.

In this regard, the competences of HEQA arising from Article 132 of the aforementioned Law are as follows:

1) conducts the accreditation procedure and issues an accreditation certificate for a study programme based on the accreditation report;

2) conducts the reaccreditation procedure and issues a reaccreditation certificate for a higher education institution based on the reaccreditation report;

3) establishes standards and criteria for internal and external evaluation, in accordance with the ESG Standards and Guidelines;

4) conducts periodic assessments of the quality of the work of licensed institutions at the request of an authorised body of the institution or the Ministry;

5) establishes the methodology for the classification of higher education institutions;

6) establishes a list of experts for accreditation and reaccreditation based on a public call;

7) cooperates with higher education institutions and the business sector in ensuring and improving the quality of higher education;

8) proposes measures for improving the quality of higher education based on the analysis of internal and external evaluation reports and submits them to the Ministry;

9) maintains a register of accredited study programmes and reaccredited higher education institutions;

10) provides an opinion on a foreign study programme in the procedure for recognition of a foreign educational qualification for employment purposes, in accordance with the relevant legislation; and

11) performs other duties in accordance with the law.

Quality assurance and enhancement are achieved through internal evaluation, i.e. self-evaluation of higher education institutions, and external evaluation conducted by HEQA through the accreditation of study programmes and reaccreditation of higher education institutions. Within its competences, HEQA also conducts the accreditation of special professional development programmes and micro-credentials.

In addition to the legal framework, quality assurance of higher education is regulated by:

Rulebook on the accreditation procedure of study programs, the content and form of the accreditation certificate, which was adopted by the Ministry of Education, as well as by the standards and acts adopted by HEQA, namely:

Higher education in Montenegro is acquired at higher education institutions, namely universities, faculties, academies of arts and colleges. These institutions may be publicly or privately owned. Within public institutions, faculties do not have legal personality, whereas faculties within private institutions may have legal personality, which affects their legal and organisational status.

The Law on Higher Education of October 2025 introduced significant changes to the structure and organisation of study programmes. The higher education system comprises three levels of study: undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral studies.

Undergraduate study programmes may comprise 180 or 240 ECTS credits.
Postgraduate study programmes are divided into specialist and master’s studies. Specialist studies comprise 60 ECTS credits, while master’s study programmes may comprise 60 or 120 ECTS credits.
Doctoral study programmes are organised exclusively as academic programmes and comprise 180 ECTS credits.
The Law also recognises integrated study programmes, comprising 300 or 360 ECTS credits.