News

At its meeting on 22 May 2026, the Higher Education Council adopted amendments to the HEdA Accreditation Ordinance, which will enter into force on 15 July 2026. The main changes concern the accreditation standards, the period of validity of accreditation, the applicable time limits, and the application of the revised Ordinance to ongoing and future accreditation procedures.

Revised accreditation standards

As part of a comprehensive project involving the Swiss Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance (AAQ) and representatives of higher education institutions, the Swiss Accreditation Council (SAC) revised the quality standards. The aim of the revision was to make the standards clearer and more precise. The legal framework remains the Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Swiss Higher Education Sector (HEdA).

The standards are now organised into three areas instead of five:

I  Higher education institution organisation and leadership, governance, and quality management
II Teaching, research, and services
III Staff, finances, and infrastructure

The former “Communication” area has been integrated into the other areas. The “Quality Assurance Strategy” and “Governance” areas have been merged, giving greater prominence to the core activities of higher education institutions. The number of standards has increased from 18 to 23. In addition, the standards have been streamlined and drafted in a clearer and more precise manner.

Duration of accreditation

The procedure for renewing an accreditation (reaccreditation) remains essentially unchanged from that for an initial accreditation.

An initial accreditation is now valid for five years, while a reaccreditation is valid for eight years.

To fulfil the conditions attached to an accreditation, the revised Ordinance provides for a period of six to eighteen months in the case of an initial accreditation and twelve to twenty-four months in the case of a reaccreditation.

Transitional provisions

The amended Accreditation Ordinance and the revised standards apply to all procedures initiated by an accreditation agency on or after 15 July 2026. Reaccreditation procedures that are already under way under the previous Ordinance will also benefit from the new eight-year period of validity.

Implementation by the AAQ

The AAQ has updated its Guide to Institutional Accreditation accordingly. Drawing on the revised standards and the experience gained from previous reaccreditation procedures, the Agency has introduced targeted adjustments that better align with the principles underpinning the accreditation procedure. The Guide is available on the AAQ website.

SAC Interpretation Guide

The Swiss Accreditation Council’s Interpretation Guide to the Quality Standards assists accreditation agencies and higher education institutions in interpreting and applying the quality standards.

Information webinars

To support the implementation of the amended Accreditation Ordinance, the AAQ and the SAC Secretariat will jointly organise two webinars in August 2026. The webinars will present the main changes to accreditation procedures under the HEdA and provide participants with an opportunity to ask questions about their practical implementation. Further information on the webinar dates and registration is available in the related announcement.

Useful Links

Schweizerische Hochschulkonferenz (available only in DE, FR, IT)

HEdA Accreditation Ordinance

AAQ: institutionellen Akkreditierung

SAC Interpretation Guide (available only in DE, FR, IT)