Croatia

Agency for Science and Higher Education

The Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) was established in 2004 by a Regulation of the Croatian Government as a legal person with public authorities, tasked with quality assurance and improvement in science and higher education. ASHE autonomously and independently performs activities within its jurisdiction, defined by the Act on Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education, the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education and the Act on the Recognition of Foreign Educational Qualifications.

Within the legal framework established by the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education and the Act on the Recognition of Foreign Educational Qualifications, ASHE has provided technical and administrative support to the National Council for Higher Education and the National Council for Science, participated in licensing of study programmes at higher education institutions and evaluations of internal quality assurance systems of higher education institutions, carried out procedures of recognition of foreign higher education qualifications, created and maintained  national databases on the system of science and higher education and fostered inclusion of Croatian higher education and science in the international system, connecting with the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and other international associations in the field of higher education and science. ASHE currently has an associate status within ENQA, is a full member of the CEE Network, INQAAHE (International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education) and the OECD IMHE Forum (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Forum on Institutional Management in Higher Education) and works closely with global and European networks that encourage mobility and recognition of foreign higher education qualifications (ENIC/NARIC networks). 

With the enactment of the Act on Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education in April 2009, ASHE was re-established as an independent public institution in the Republic of Croatia responsible for external quality assurance and development in science and higher education, tasked with carrying out procedures of initial accreditation, re-accreditation, thematic evaluation and audit. Further, ASHE established the Accreditation Council as its expert council composed of representatives of scientific, educational, business and non-profit, non-governmental organizations recognized as stakeholders in science and higher education. Members of the Accreditation Council are persons acquainted with international, especially European and national quality assurance systems, whose task is to systematically educate themselves on quality assurance in science and higher education.

Accreditation Council adopts the documents necessary for procedures of initial accreditation and re-accreditation of higher education institutions, study programmes and scientific organisations, thematic evaluations and audits of internal quality assurance systems of higher education institutions and scientific organisations, establishes criteria and indicators for quality assessments of evaluation objects, adopts plans for implementation of external evaluation procedures, appoints members of expert panels for implementation of external evaluation procedures, issues opinions on final expert panel reports on the implemented external evaluation procedures, appoints members of complaints committees for the implemented external evaluation procedures, produces annual reports on its work for the ASHE Director, proposes annual work plans for activities in its purview, appoints working bodies and organises their activities, and decides on other expert issues upon request of the Management Board and ASHE Director.

The Act on Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education stipulates that all public and private higher education institutions are subject to re-accreditation in five-year cycles.  On the basis of the re-accreditation procedures and opinion of the Accreditation Council, ASHE issues accreditation recommendations, the outcomes of which can be licensing for performing activities or parts of activities, license withdrawal or a letter of expectation which contains quality assessment and a list of measures for improvement and development of the quality of a higher education institution. In addition to this, ASHE performs initial accreditations of new study programmes and institutions.

Criteria for the establishment of higher education institutions and new study programmes are developed on the basis of the relevant European documents, primarily European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ESG), as well as results of various studies in the OECD and EU documents regulating this matter.

Additionally, with the introduction of the state graduation examination,  the Central Applications Office (CAO) was established as a part of ASHE designed to serve as the national centre for processing applications for study programmes at Croatian higher education institutions and tasked with consolidating all procedures related to applications for study programmes.