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INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES

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.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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.

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ISG REVIEW

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.

REVIEW MECHANISM

The review of agencies may follow three pathways:

  • Standard ISG Review: a full process including self-evaluation, desk-based analysis, and a peer-review visit, leading to an outcome on the agency's level of compliance with the ISG.
  • Recognition of Prior Review: a fast-track route that acknowledges a prior external review by a recognized regional body, reducing the scope or waiving the need for an ISG Review.
  • Joint Review: a coordinated process conducted together with regional networks, using a single review panel to assess compliance with both sets of standards at once.
Value of ISG Review for key stakeholders
Governments
  • Enhancing trust in the operations and credibility of quality assurance agencies at both national and international levels.
Quality Assurance Agencies
  • Promoting continuous improvement in quality assurance practices.
  • Enhancing global credibility and recognition of quality assurance outcomes.
  • Facilitating cooperation and mutual learning among quality assurance agencies.
Students
  • Building trust in higher education providers that have undergone quality assurance.
Higher Education Providers
  • Strengthening confidence in the quality assurance agencies with whom they engage.
  • Enhancing trust in international higher education providers.
Qualification Recognition Bodies
  • Building trust in higher education providers that have undergone quality assurance.
Employers
  • Enhancing trust in international qualifications and graduate competencies.
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ISG REVIEW FEES

  • The fee covers the honoraria for the Review Panel, the Review Manager fee, and the services of the INQAAHE Secretariat.
  • The fee excludes any expenses that the Review Panel might incur for travel and subsistence expenses, if applicable. The applicant should budget for these expenses separately.

FULL ISG REVIEW

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:

  • Withdrawal before the desk-based review – 30% will be refunded
  • Withdrawal after the desk-based review – 15% of refund
  • Withdrawal after the visit – no refund

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:

  • USD 400 (members) / USD 525 (non-members) per standard without review visit meetings
  • USD 600 (members) / USD 750 (non-members) per standard when review visit meetings are required

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.

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APPLICATION FORM

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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