The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) checks how universities maintain their own academic standards and quality. It reviews and reports on how they meet their responsibilities, identifies good practice and makes recommendation for improvement
The QAA is an independent body and was established in 1997. Its chair is Sir Rodney Brooke.
The primary responsibility for academic standards and quality rests with individual institutions. The QAA reviews and reports on how well they meet those recommendations, and encourages continuous improvement in the management of the quality of higher education. It does this by:
- conducting external reviews of universities and colleges
- publishing reports on the confidence that can be placed in an institution’s ability to maintain standards and quality
- offering expert guidance on maintaining and improving the quality of higher education
- advising the government on applications for degree awarding powers and university title
