Coordinating external reviews of quality assurance agencies has been a key activity of ENQA since 2011, offering a professional review service to assess agencies’ compliance with the ESG for the purposes of applying for ENQA membership and EQAR registration.
In order to enhance its own work and to hold itself to the same standards expected of agencies, ENQA commissioned an external review of its Agency Review service in 2024. This latest external review, conducted by the Knowledge Innovation Centre (KIC), highlights ENQA’s successes and challenges, and provides recommendations for future developments. Following a self-assessment report in September 2024 and a site visit in December 2024, ENQA received the final review report at the end of March 2025. Full details of the review process are available here.
A trusted and professional service
The review confirms ENQA’s role as the preferred provider of QA agency reviews, with its structured, professional and transparent approach contributing significantly to the higher education quality assurance ecosystem in the EHEA as well as to the development of individual agencies.
The external review panel commended ENQA for its continuous enhancement of the agency reviews, some of which came as direct follow-up from the previous external review in 2019. Aspects that were highlighted include the establishment of the Agency Review Committee (ARC), the refinement of review methodologies and introduction of targeted reviews, and the support, guidance and training provided by the ENQA review coordinators.
Areas for further development
A particular focus of the review was on ENQA’s work to provide further added value in the review process for agencies that have had multiple successful reviews. The introduction of the targeted review methodology was recognised as being an important development in this regard. However, it was also noted that ENQA could explore even further the continuum between accountability and enhancement and tailored approaches to reflect the diversity of agencies as well as the changing higher education environment in which they operate.
Other recommendations included considering broader stakeholder involvement in its work, ensuring relevant and specific skills and expertise among the pool of experts, revisiting the compliance scale, further improving the alignment between ENQA and EQAR processes, and taking a more strategic approach to using the review outcomes (including commendations) both for thematic analyses and for sharing of practice.
Looking ahead: future strategic directions
Following some initial discussions during the ENQA Members’ Forum in April, the ENQA Board will have an in-depth reflection on the review outcomes at its next meting in June, followed by consultation with members on key issues and potential changes. Existing activities planned for the coming months include drafting of the new report template, redesigning the training for new experts, and working on the 2025 thematic analysis. The outcomes of the external review will also be taken into consideration while ENQA prepares its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, as the review also encourages a forward-thinking approach that incorporates both internal and external trends.