Reaccreditation Procedure

Reaccreditation of higher education institutions is the process by which the quality and public recognition of licensed higher education institutions and accredited study programmes are confirmed.

The Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education reaccredits higher education institutions every seven years in accordance with the Law on Higher Education.

In the reaccreditation procedure, the higher education institution prepares a self-evaluation report for the period of validity of the accreditation or previous reaccreditation.

 STEPS IN THE REACCREDITATION PROCEDURE

1. At least eight months before the expiry of the accreditation or previous reaccreditation, the higher education institution must submit to the Agency an application for institutional reaccreditation using the prescribed form.
2. Along with the reaccreditation application, the higher education institution submits the documentation from Section C of the application, a completed self-evaluation report form with evidence of compliance with the standards and criteria, and proof of payment of the administrative fee.
3. The Agency checks the formal completeness and timeliness of the reaccreditation application within 7 days from the date of submission.
4. If the documentation is incomplete, the Agency notifies the applicant in writing to supplement the documentation and submit it within 8 days from receipt of the notification.
5. If the applicant does not supplement the documentation within the specified deadline or remedy the identified deficiencies, the Agency will reject the reaccreditation application by decision.
6. If the application is complete, the Agency establishes a Commission for the reaccreditation procedure, composed of independent experts from Montenegro and abroad selected from the List of Experts. The University reaccreditation Commission has at least seven members, while the Commission for the reaccreditation of other higher education institutions has at least five members. One Commission member is appointed as chair.
7. The Agency delivers the decision establishing the Commission to the higher education institution within 7 days from the date the decision is adopted.
8. The higher education institution has the right to object to the decision establishing the Commission where grounds exist under Article 68 of the Law on Higher Education relating to conflicts of interest.
9. For each commission, the Agency appoints a member of its staff to perform administrative and technical tasks (hereinafter: the coordinator).
10. The act establishing the Commission regulates its composition, tasks and other matters relevant to its work. Detailed working and decision-making arrangements are governed by the Rules on the Procedure for Reaccreditation of Higher Education Institution.
11. Before the Commission begins its work, the coordinator briefs the chair and members on the procedures, deadlines and preparation of the institutional reaccreditation report.
12. In order to establish facts relevant to the decision on the institutional reaccreditation application, the Commission visits the higher education institution that submitted the application.
13. Based on the reaccreditation application and other submitted documentation, the Commission prepares a reaccreditation report and submits it to the Agency within 30 days from the date of the institutional visit (Report Form for the Reaccreditation of a Higher Education Institution with Instructions).
14. The reaccreditation report specifically contains: an assessment of compliance with the standards for evaluation of institutions; identified shortcomings in the work of the institution being reaccredited, with explanations and suggestions for remedying them; recommendations for improving the institution’s work; and the Commission’s position on reaccreditation of the institution. The reaccreditation position may be: acceptance of the reaccreditation application or rejection of the reaccreditation application.
15. Within 5 days of receiving the reaccreditation report, the coordinator checks whether all Commission members have assessed all reaccreditation standards in the report. If the coordinator determines that all standards have not been assessed, the report is returned electronically to the Commission for supplementation, and the Commission must submit the supplemented report to the Agency within 8 days.
16. The Agency delivers the reaccreditation report to the higher education institution within 8 days from receipt of the report.
17. The higher education institution has the right to object to the reaccreditation report within 30 days from the date the report is delivered.
18. A decision on the objection is made within 30 days from the date the objection is submitted. An administrative dispute may be initiated against the decision on the objection.
19. Based on the institutional reaccreditation report/decision on the objection, the Agency adopts a decision on reaccreditation of the institution and issues a reaccreditation certificate, or adopts a decision rejecting the reaccreditation application, within 8 days from receipt of the report. Together with the reaccreditation decision and certificate, or the decision rejecting the reaccreditation application, the Agency delivers the institutional reaccreditation report to the higher education institution.
20. Upon completion of the procedure, the reaccreditation decision and reaccreditation report are published on the Agency’s website.
21. An institution that has undergone the reaccreditation procedure is subject to mandatory follow-up of its work and implementation of the recommendations from the Commission’s report.

 LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Law on Higher Education
Law on Academic Integrity
Law on the National Qualifications Framework
Rules on the Procedure for Reaccreditation of Higher Education Institution
Standards and Guidelines for Reaccreditation of Higher Education Institutions