Members
The INQAAHE International Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ISG) are the product of an inclusive, participatory process that draws on the collective expertise of external quality assurance agencies and professionals worldwide.
The ISG are grounded in the extensive application and lessons learned from INQAAHE's external review procedures based on the Guidelines of Good Practices (GGPs 2003, revised in 2006 and 2016) . In response to the growing diversification of higher education and its quality assurance, in 2022 INQAAHE reviewed its GGPs. This review, led to the ISG, with the primary purpose of recognizing and embracing the diversity of higher education offerings and providers, while ensuring that quality assurance measures remain relevant and adaptable.
Following two years of pilot implementation of the ISG , feedback from both quality assurance agencies that participated in the reviews and the reviewers who conducted them has offered rich insights to support the refinement of the standards. The updated ISG 2025 are designed to streamline, simplify, and clarify the standards framework by removing duplications and ambiguities, while providing clearer guidance on interpretation and implementation, and explicitly outlining minimum expectations.
The revised framework consists of 18 overarching standards, each accompanied by a concise commentary that explains its rationale, offers guidance on policies and practices agencies may adopt, and sets out the minimum requirements for compliance.
UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education.
If you would like to learn more about the INQAAHE ISG Review scheme and how to participate, please contact us at: secretariat@inqaahe.org
INQAAHE extends its sincere appreciation to the many experts, professionals, and INQAAHE Board Members whose invaluable contributions made possible the development of the ISG.
Special recognition is given to the members of the ISG Recognition Committee, who oversaw the review process that informed the 2025 revised ISG and the ISG Review scheme. These include: Fabrizio Trifiró (Chair), Alexei Matveev, Anna Pradez, Ariana De Vincenzi, Lynette Kisaka, Nasser Said Al Hinai, Nitesh Sughnani, Olgun Çiçek, Rozilini Fernandez, Stig Arne Skjerven, and Fabrice Henard.
The International Standards and Guidelines Review OF quality Assurance Agencies (ISG Review) is an independent, peer-review process through which quality assurance agencies benchmark their policies and practices against INQAAHE's International Standards and Guidelines (ISG), ensuring credibility, transparency, and continuous improvement in external quality assurance.
The review of agencies may follow three pathways:
A successful ISG Review entitles reviewed quality assurance agencies to use the ISG Quality Mark, and to be included in the aligned agencies database of successfully reviewed quality assurance agencies.
| Value of ISG Review for key stakeholders | |
|---|---|
| Governments |
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| Quality Assurance Agencies |
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| Students |
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| Higher Education Providers |
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| Qualification Recognition Bodies |
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| Employers |
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The overall fee for a full ISG Review is distributed as per the following rates:
| FUNCTION | INQAAHE Members | Non-INQAAHE Members |
|---|---|---|
| Panel Chair | USD 2,500 | USD 2,500 |
| Panel Secretary | USD 2,500 | USD 2,500 |
| Panel Expert | USD 2,000 | USD 2,000 |
| Review Manager | USD 1,000 | USD 1,000 |
| INQAAHE Secretariat | USD 8,000 | USD 10,500 |
| TOTAL | USD 16,000 | USD 18,500 |
The fee should be paid before the visit as a whole; however, a request may be made to pay the fee in two (2) instalments - 50% before the visit and 50% upon receipt of the review report.
If the application is withdrawn before the completion of the review process, the refund policy is as follows:
In cases of Recognition of Prior Review where automatic recognition is granted without any additional review activity, a non-refundable administrative fee of USD 1,500 for members and USD 3,500 for non-members will apply.
Where automatic recognition does not cover all ISG standards and a focused additional review is required, a non-refundable administrative fee of USD 1,500 for members and USD 3,500 for non-members will apply, in addition to fees covering the costs of desk-based analysis, reporting, and, where necessary, review visit meetings. The amount of the additional fee will depend on the scope of the supplementary review, determined by the number of ISG standards not covered by the prior review. Fees are typically calculated as follows:
When a quality assurance agency requests an ISG Review as part of a Joint Review with a regional network, the applicable fee structure will be defined in the trilateral agreement. The standard rates in Table 1 will serve as the baseline for calculating fees.
When a quality assurance agency requests an ISG Review as part of a Joint Review with a regional network, the applicable fee structure will be defined in the trilateral agreement. The standard rates for ISG Review will serve as the baseline for calculating fees.
Should you wish to initiate the ISG alignment process, please complete the application form and submit it to the Secretariat. The review process will proceed in accordance with the provisions outlined in the ISG Review Handbook.
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