المملكة: Details .. new criteria for academic accreditation to raise the efficiency of Saudi universities-urgent

The Education and Training Authority has launched through the “policy” policy policy platform for academic accreditation for 2025, with the aim of align the educational system with academic and professional developments.
In addition to developing the organizational environment in a way that enhances confidence in higher education outcomes and pushes the wheel of continuous improvement in educational institutions and academic programs in the Kingdom.

A comprehensive update to keep pace with international practices

This update comes as an alternative to the previous policies adopted in 2022, and aims to define the regular framework of institutional and programmatic accreditation, and to confirm the principles of transparency and reliability in evaluation and quality assurance procedures.
Through the project, the authority seeks to raise the efficiency of academic performance in a way that responds to the latest developments, and enhances the ability of institutions to compete locally and internationally.
The National Center for Evaluation and Academic Accreditation of the Authority is responsible for developing and adopting accreditation criteria for educational institutions and programs, provided that the decline in these standards every five years or when necessary, in a manner that guarantees their accompaniment to the priorities of national development and best global practices.
The center also undertakes the responsibility of compliance and quality guarantee through accurate evaluation procedures that enhance continuous improvement and ensure the achievement of the required performance standards.

The eligibility of dependence and the fulfillment of the conditions

New policies are required for institutions and programs wishing to obtain academic accreditation to fulfill specific requirements for qualification, which are announced in an independent, periodic, periodic document.
It prevents any educational entity from applying for accreditation without fulfilling these requirements, so that the shortcomings and obtaining the approval of the center are avoided.
The accreditation criteria set by the National Center for Evaluation and Academic Accreditation include a number of basic axes that reflect the diversity and development of the higher education system, as these criteria cover multiple aspects, including institutional accreditation that is concerned with assessing the performance of universities and educational institutions as a whole, in addition to programmatic accreditation that aims to assess the quality of academic programs in the undergraduate and graduate studies.

E -learning and distance education

The criteria extend to include the adoption of e -learning and education from a distance, in confirmation of keeping pace with the digital transformation, as well as the adoption of Arabic language education centers for non -native speakers, within the framework of supporting linguistic pluralism and enhancing the position of the Arabic language globally.
Policies require educational institutions to prove their compliance with these criteria through direct and indirect evidence, in addition to building mechanisms for external and internal reference comparison in a way that contributes to measuring performance and continuous improvement, as well as stressing the commitment to the national framework of qualifications in terms of compatible hours and learning outputs.
Policies are concerned with establishing a culture of quality within educational institutions, so that all academic and administrative units bear a shared responsibility in enhancing the quality of education, and this requires the establishment of continuous monitoring and evaluation systems that include programs, courses and student services, and the application of the methodology of “planning, implementation, evaluation and improvement” as a basis for quality guarantee.

Multi -level governance and accreditation

The authority adopts a multi -level governance system in adopting accreditation decisions to ensure integrity and objectivity, and the center costs independent review teams to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of institutions that include documents, interviews, field visits, analysis of the fields of teaching, research, services and infrastructure, and these teams are a detailed report referred to the competent credentials.
Specialized accreditation councils are a basic pillar in the academic quality assurance system, as it includes a group of academics and experts in various disciplines, and is distributed to specialized sectoral councils to ensure the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the evaluation.
These councils include: Institutional Accreditation Council, the Academic Accreditation Council for Engineering and Computer Science, the Academic Accreditation Council for Health Specialties, the Academic Accreditation Council for Humanities and Education, and the Academic Accreditation Council for Islamic and Arab Studies, in addition to the Academic Accreditation Council for Science and Mathematics, in a manner that guarantees the compatibility of accreditation processes with the nature of each cognitive field.
These councils are authorized to make final decisions regarding accreditation, including granting or withdrawing accreditation, imposing additional conditions or amending the case of accreditation.

Transparency and privacy protection

Policies are obligated to all participants in accreditation activities to avoid conflict of interests, and define mechanisms for disclosure and treatment that guarantee integrity and transparency.
The authority is also obligated to the highest standards of data protection, as information related to dependence operations is classified as “secret”, and it is not allowed to view them except according to specific powers and the use of secure means.
Institutions that receive negative adoption decisions are available to grievance within 45 days, according to specific controls that guarantee transparency. Grievances are taught by an independent committee to consider the extent of commitment to regular procedures during the review process, and in the event of acceptance of the grievance, the evaluation is re -evaluated, and new accreditation decisions are issued in accordance with the results.

The financial compensation and the services provided

The project includes determining the financial compensation for each type of accreditation according to its scope, to be paid in stages according to the signed contract with the center.
Institutions remain responsible for any existing financial obligations even in the event of withdrawing from the accreditation process, in a manner that guarantees transparency and full commitment to agreements.
The Education and Training Evaluation Authority confirms that the new academic accreditation policies represent a strategic step towards building a more reliable and sustainable high education system, and contributes to achieving the targets of the Kingdom’s 2030 vision through developing the quality of education, and linking its output to the needs of the labor market and national development.