About ENQA
ENQA's Mission
ENQA promotes the development of quality assurance in higher education by representing its members in policy-making, supporting them in implementing the European Higher Education Area commitments on quality assurance, and by providing a forum for evidence-informed exchange, development and enhancement in external quality assurance.
Who we are
ENQA was first established in 2000 as the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education to promote European cooperation in the field of quality assurance in higher education. In 2004, it became the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education with the aim to contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of the quality of European higher education, and to act as a major driving force for the development of quality assurance across all the Bologna Process signatory countries.
ENQA is a membership association which serves and represents its members at the European level and internationally. ENQA members are quality assurance organisations from the European Higher Education Area that operate in the field of higher education.
ENQA members are higher education quality assurance agencies based in the European Higher Education Area. In order to become a member of ENQA, agencies must demonstrate their compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the EHEA (ESG).
ENQA affiliation is open to agencies that are not compliant with the ESG, agencies outside the European Higher Education Area, and other organisations active in the field of quality assurance of higher education.
What we do
ENQA has three main goals:
- Driving the development of quality assurance, sustaining a community of agencies that share expertise, foster innovation, and support collaboration
- Promoting and facilitating the implementation of the EHEA commitments and tools for quality assurance.
- Being the representative body and trusted reference point for quality assurance policy development in the EHEA.
To achieve these goals, ENQA conducts various activities:
Values
ENQA places particular importance on the values of integrity, transparency, and independence and upholds these values in its work.
ENQA conducts all its activities and decision-making in a fair, equitable, impartial, and professional manner. ENQA is inclusive in its involvement of members, affiliates and partners in its work, and is mindful of its social responsibility.
ENQA operates with clear policies, processes and membership criteria that are publicly available. ENQA publishes and disseminates information about all its activities and their outcomes.
ENQA is governed by and for its members. It ensures the independence of its reviews of agencies and its membership decisions.