Process, Costs, & Duration of Accreditation
The accreditation is a three-step procedure.
Procedure
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The procedure is started by the respective university through an application, which contains a self-report and must be submitted to the agency conduction the accreditation for the course of study in question.
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Upon assignment, the agency will start an evaluation procedure with the appropriat peers appointed for the respective courses of study. The peer group will give a recommendation after an on-site visitation and listening to participants, that is teachers and students.
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The accreditation committee will then make a decision on the accreditation based on the recommendation received.
The accreditation decision can vary. On one hand, the accreditation may be given without special requirements with a duration of five years. After termination of this period, a re-accreditation period will take place. On the other hand, an accreditation may be granted under reserve, meaning that certain requirements must be met first. The accreditation may also be denied for the time being, while the university has the possibility to be heard by the accreditation committee for a second time. Ultimately a denial may also be permanent.
The decision on the accreditation for the respective degree programme will only be granted by the Accreditation Council and not by the Ministry, as long as the Ministry does not reserve the right for it.
Duration
The accreditation procedure may take between five to nine months. Two to three months must be planned for the self-report.
Costs
The costs for a standard procedure amount to about 12000 Euros. The costs, however, can be reduced by means of a "Cluster Procedure", which means that the accreditation of courses of study with similar content may be bundled into one package.