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The Ten Accredo Standards
Every Accredo accreditation assesses the institution against ten published standards — covering governance, teaching, assessment, student support, safeguarding, staffing, resources, information integrity, outcomes, and continuous improvement — aligned with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG).
The standards are published in full so institutions can self-assess against exactly what inspectors assess. Each standard is graded commendable, met, or not met in the inspection report.
| # | Standard | What inspectors look for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Governance & integrity | Transparent ownership, competent leadership, financial sustainability, academic integrity, conflict-of-interest management. |
| 2 | Curriculum & programme design | Coherent, current curricula with clear learning outcomes matched to level and mission. |
| 3 | Teaching & learning | Observed teaching quality, learner engagement, methodology appropriate to subject and mode. |
| 4 | Assessment | Assessment that genuinely evidences the stated outcomes; integrity controls; fair and timely feedback. |
| 5 | Student support & welfare | Guidance, pastoral care, complaint handling, and support proportionate to the learner body. |
| 6 | Safeguarding & safety | Child protection where minors are taught; occupational health and safety; safe premises and platforms. |
| 7 | Staffing | Qualified, developed, and stable staff; sound recruitment including vetting; CPD in operation. |
| 8 | Resources & environment | Facilities, learning resources, and digital platforms adequate to deliver what is promised. |
| 9 | Information integrity | Truthful marketing, accurate representation of awards and accreditation status, sound data protection. |
| 10 | Outcomes & continuous improvement | Retention, completion, and destination evidence; a working quality cycle that acts on findings. |
How the standards map to the ESG
The ten standards are aligned with Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) — the internal-quality-assurance framework referenced by EQAR and adopted across the European Higher Education Area. Mapping to a widely recognised framework means an Accredo review is legible to other quality bodies, partner institutions, and regulators reading your accreditation from outside.
Proportionate application
The same ten standards apply to a 40,000-student university and a 40-student language school — proportionately. Inspectors assess whether provision is sound for the institution's mission and scale, which is why teaching-focused institutions are not penalised for lacking research offices, and small schools are not expected to run university-sized bureaucracies.
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