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About Accredo International
Accredo is an independent accreditation body operating internationally. Founded to make rigorous, affordable quality assurance available to institutions worldwide, Accredo accredits universities, colleges, schools, online providers, and individual educators against ten published standards aligned with the ESG framework. Accreditation is voluntary, evidence-based, and awarded for four years.
What does Accredo do?
Accredo does four things, and publishes how it does each of them:
- Sets standards. The ten Accredo Standards cover governance, teaching and learning, assessment, student support, safeguarding, staffing, facilities, information integrity, and continuous improvement — mapped to the ESG framework used across the European Higher Education Area.
- Evaluates institutions. Every accreditation combines documentary desk review with an on-site or virtual inspection: teaching observation, facility checks, and interviews with leadership, staff, and students.
- Awards and monitors. Accreditation is awarded for four years. Accredited institutions submit annual monitoring returns and act on an agreed improvement plan; reaccreditation follows in year four. Where quality declines, Accredo can place an institution on probation or withdraw accreditation.
- Builds capacity. Beyond the certificate, Accredo runs free monthly webinars, an annual conference, teacher capacity-building programmes, and advisory support on safeguarding, occupational health and safety, ISO alignment, and QS Stars.
Why accreditation matters
Accreditation answers a question every student, parent, employer, and partner university asks: can this institution's claims be trusted? An Accredo review verifies that answer with evidence — inspected teaching, audited processes, interviewed students — and then keeps verifying it every year of the cycle. For institutions, the discipline of the review is itself the benefit: most members report that preparing the self-evaluation surfaced improvements they implemented before the inspector ever arrived.
Beyond accreditation: capacity building and safeguarding
Teacher and lecturer development
Accredo's capacity-building programmes give educators updated methodology, collaborative networks, and confidence — because institutional quality ultimately lives in classrooms. Workshops and training sessions connect teachers across our member network to exchange working practice, and individual educators can pursue Teacher & Lecturer Accreditation.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding runs through every Accredo inspection of schools and colleges: recruitment checks, designated safeguarding leads, reporting procedures, risk assessment of premises and activities, and open channels for students to raise concerns. Accredo also provides staff training programmes to help institutions build these systems before inspection.
Occupational health & safety
Inspectors review the physical learning environment — classrooms, laboratories, play areas, emergency procedures, and equipment handling — and Accredo can train an institution's own OH&S staff as its first line of defence.
Official advisory
Accredo has issued a notice cautioning institutions against unauthorised organisations falsely claiming association with Accredo. Verify any claim of Accredo accreditation against our public register of accredited institutions, or contact us directly.
About Accredo — quick answers
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