Evaluation of tertiary professional education proceeds according to Education Act and is similar to that of schools at lower levels of education; however, in certain respects it is beginning to resemble higher education, see the part on Quality Assurance in Early Childhood and School Education. For specific conditions for tertiary professional school including accreditation, see following sections (Institutions responsible for evaluation in tertiary professional education and Evaluation in tertiary professional education).

Evaluation, quality assurance and accreditation in the area of higher education is organised differently and complies with the Higher Education Act. For more, see the sections below (Institutions responsible for evaluation in higher education and Evaluation in higher education).

Responsible bodies

Institutions responsible for evaluation in tertiary professional education

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the Czech School Inspectorate and the regions participate in the evaluation of the education system from nursery schools to tertiary professional schools.

Each tertiary professional school (vyšší odborná škola) stipulates its own educational programme, but the programme has to be submitted to the National Accreditation Bureau for Tertiary Education (NAB) for accreditation (in case of healthcare and medical fields of study with previous consent of the Ministry of Health and in the case of the educational programme in the area of security services with the previous approval of the Ministry of Interior). The NAB gives accreditation on the basis of a recommendation of the Accreditation Commission for Tertiary Professional (Non-university) Education, whose 21 members were appointed by the Minister of Education and are professionals selected from higher education institutions, tertiary professional schools and the world of work. Accreditation Commission is an advisory body to the National Accreditation Bureau (NAB). Internal organisation of the Accreditation Commission is stipulated by the Rules of Procedure of the Accreditation Commission issued by the NAB. After June 30, 2028, Accreditation Commission will cease to exist, and the accreditation of educational programmes of tertiary professional schools in the NAB will be procedurally similar to the accreditation of study programmes at higher education institutions.

External evaluation of tertiary professional schools is provided by the Czech School Inspectorate systematically, similarly to external evaluation at lower levels of education. At the same time, the National Accreditation Bureau also has the authority to conduct external evaluations of the educational activities of tertiary professional schools.

School heads of tertiary professional schools are responsible for internal evaluation of these schools in a similar way as school heads at internal evaluation at lower levels of education.

Institutions responsible for evaluation in higher education

Institutions responsible for accreditation and external evaluation in higher education

According to the 2025 amendment to Higher Education Act, the National Accreditation Bureau for Tertiary Education (NAB) is responsible for the quality of higher education and comprehensive evaluation of educational, scientific, research, developmental, innovative, artistic and other creative activities of higher education institutions (vysoké školy). The Bureau grants the authorisation to provide accredited activities, evaluates activities of higher education institutions and the quality of all accredited activities and publishes the results. A higher education institution can also at its own expense assure evaluation by a generally recognised evaluation agency, i.e. an agency which is recorded in the EQAR register or is a member of the association ENQA. The higher education institution itself decides whether to submit the results of this evaluation to the NAB (to be taken into account in the external evaluation of the higher education institution's activities). Some control and other related activities are performed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

The National Accreditation Bureau for Tertiary Education

The executive body of the National Accreditation Bureau (NAB) is the Council of NAB which has 15 members and is composed of chairperson, two vice-chairpersons, and other members. The greater independency of the new Bureau requires for the chairperson and the vice-chairpersons of the Council not to execute any remunerated or non-remunerated function at any higher education institution, nor to be in an employment or other similar relation with a higher education institution (this does not apply if they participate in teaching at a higher education institution on the basis of agreements on work performed outside of employment). One member of the council is a student. The chair of the Council is appointed by the government on the recommendation of the Minister of Education, Youth, and Sports on the basis of a selection process that includes a public hearing of candidates. For the selection procedure, the Minister establishes a five-member selection committee from members proposed by the representative bodies of higher education institutions (i.e., the  Higher Education Council and Czech Rector’s Conference), the student representative body, the Council of Economic and Social Agreement, and one member without a proposal. The selection committee ranks the three most suitable candidates, from whom the minister selects the one to be proposed to the government for appointment. The vice-chairpersons of the Council are appointed by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports from among the members of the Council on the proposal of the chairperson of the Council. The chairperson and the members of the NAB are appointed by the Government of the Czech Republic for the six-year term of office with the exception of one member-student who is appointed for two years. Eight persons, including one student member, are appointed by the government on the recommendation of higher education institutions’ representative bodies; three persons are appointed on the recommendation of the Council of Economic and Social Agreement; one person is appointed on the recommendation of the association of regions with nationwide competence; and two persons are appointed on the recommendation of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

Chairperson and the members of the Accreditation Bureau may become only persons with proven experience in quality assurance in higher education. They are independent in performing their function. Their performance is set out in the Statute of the National Accreditation Bureau for Tertiary Education, which was approved by the Government and is available to the public.

Counselling bodies of the NAB are the Evaluation Commissions, appointed for each accreditation procedure. Their members can be appointed only from persons registered in the List of Evaluators. The List of Evaluators is administered by the NAB. The List is broken down by areas of education. Only a generally distinguished professional authority in a given area of education or a student can be registered in the List (a member of the Evaluation Commission is always also one student). A person can be included in the List of Evaluators:

• on the basis of proposal of the Ministry of Education or other central administration authority, body of the representation of higher education institutions or professional organisation or
• if he/she shows an interest to participate in the activities of Evaluation Commissions.

A person is registered in the List of Evaluators if he/she fulfils conditions set by the Council of the NAB, the registration is for a period of six years. The List of Evaluators is publicly available on the web site NAB.

Tasks related to the professional, organisational, and technical support of NAB activities are performed by the NAB Office, which is composed of NAB employees.

The NAB in particular:

• decides on institutional accreditations, accreditations of study programmes, accreditations of habilitation procedures or procedures for the appointment of a professor;
• monitors compliance with legal regulations when carrying out accredited activities;
• carries out external evaluation of educational, creative and other relating activities of higher education institutions if the Minister requests so or if agreed by the NAB Council;
• issues statements on granting a state permission to operate as a private higher education institution in Czechia and to a type of higher education institution (university or non-university type);
• it also assesses and issues opinions on other matters relating to higher education submitted to it by the Minister.

The board of NAB decides on all matters falling within the competence of the Accreditation Bureau, unless otherwise provided by the Act on Higher Education Institutions. Among other things, following are appropriate to the board.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports

The Act on Budgetary Rules authorise the Ministry of Education as a provider of funds from the state budget to execute many control activities, primarily to control the management of public higher education institutions and also the private ones if they receive resources from the state budget. The above mentioned and other related activities of the Ministry are described in the section Accreditation and External Evaluation in Higher Education.

Bodies responsible for internal evaluation in higher education

The Higher Education Act gives more autonomy to a higher education institution (vysoká škola) within the system of quality assurance and internal evaluation of quality and at the same time imposes more obligations on higher education institution than it had been before 2015. The system of quality assurance and internal evaluation is determined by the higher education institution itself, the general requirements are given by legislation.

The obligations and competences at public higher education institutions lie mainly on the Scientific Board of a Public Higher Education Institution, the Scientific Board of Faculties and the Internal Evaluation Board. According to the Act on Higher Education Institutions, a public higher education institution establishes this board by its statute. In the event that a public higher education institution does not have an institutional accreditation, the powers of this board may be exercised by the Scientific Boards of this Higher Education Institution. Similar conditions apply to state higher education institutions. In the case of a private higher education institutions, the bodies exercising those powers are determined by the internal regulations of the private higher education institution. However, if private institutions apply for institutional accreditation, they must also set up an internal evaluation board. The Scientific Board of a public higher education institution has also some competencies within the accreditation, some of which are entrusted to the faculty Scientific Board of a Faculty. At the same time, the Act sets also the responsibilities of guarantors of study programmes. The act requires public higher education institutions to establish an audit division and control division and carry out an internal financial audit.

Internal evaluation board approves a proposal of rules of the system for quality assurance, manages the process of internal evaluation of quality and performs other related activities.

Scientific board of public higher education institution performs a number of functions in the area of institutional accreditation, internal approval of study programmes, accreditation for habilitation procedure or procedure for the appointment of a professor, and quality assurance and internal evaluation of quality.

Scientific board of a faculty fulfills competencies in the area of proposals of study programmes, accreditation of study programmes, and accreditation of habilitation procedure or procedures for appointment of a professor.

A detailed list of the activities of individual councils and information of the appointment of their members are given in the section Institutional administration and governance in higher education in the chapter Organisation and Governance.

The guarantor of a study programme

The higher education institution appoints guarantors of study programmes from among its academic staff in line with the rules set out in its internal regulations. Guarantors are also subject to the provisions of the Government Regulation on Standards for Accreditation in Higher Education, which regulates in great detail the activities and qualifications of guarantors for all three types of study programmes (Bachelor's, Master's, Doctoral) and for both profiles of study programmes (academically focused and professionally focused).

The guarantor mainly:

• coordinates the content preparation of a study programme;
• supervises quality of its realisation;
• evaluates it;
• develops it further on.

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

Evaluation in tertiary professional education

Accreditation and external evaluation in tertiary professional education

Accreditation

The education programme is determined by each tertiary professional school (vyšší odborná škola) itself, but is subject to accreditation by the National Accreditation Bureau for Tertiary Education (NAB) (in the case of medical specialisation with prior consent of the Ministry of Health and in the case of education programme in security services with prior consent of the Ministry of the Interior). The Ministry of Education grants it on the basis of the opinion of the Accreditation Commission for Tertiary Professional Education, which is an advisory body to the NAB Council. Accreditation of an education programme is a prerequisite for recording the field of study in the Register of Schools and School Facilities and thus providing instruction, examinations and granting a graduate title. The conditions for accreditation are regulated by the Education Act and the related Decree on Tertiary Professional Education.

The applicant submits the application for accreditation of the education programme to the NAB, which assesses the educational programme from the content and the professional perspective. Accreditation is granted for the period equal to the maximum of the double of the length of education in the day form of study (i.e. 6 or 7 years). The validity of accreditation can be prolonged repeatedly. The accreditation request should contain requirements set by the Decree on Tertiary Professional Education:

• identifying information
• draft educational programme
• documents on professional ensuring of the instruction

External evaluation

External evaluation of all tertiary professional schools included in the Register of Schools and School facilities regardless the school organising body is provided systematically, similarly to external evaluation of schools at lower educational levels, by the Czech School Inspectorate. External evaluation of educational activities at tertiary professional schools is also carried out by the Accreditation Bureau.

Internal evaluation in tertiary professional education

For approaches and methods for quality assurance at tertiary professional schools (vyšší odborné školy) by internal evaluation, which are similar to those at lower educational levels, see Internal Evaluation of Schools in the part on early childhood and school education.

Evaluation in higher education

Accreditation and external evaluation in higher education

The quality of higher education and general appraisal of educational and scientific, research, development, art and other creative activities of higher education institutions (vysoké školy) is under the responsibility of the National Accreditation Bureau for Tertiary Education (NAB). The condition of the accreditation are set by the Higher Education Act and the Government Regulation on Standards for Accreditation in Higher Education.

The Higher Education Act puts a great emphasis on the fact that the institution itself is to establish a high quality system for quality assurance and internal evaluation. The NAB will observe how and if it is well adjusted system when considering the application on institutional accreditation as well as other accredited activities.

Accreditation

Accreditation of a study programme is granted for a period of ten years at maximum from the day of the legal force of the decision. In case of the rejection of the application for the accreditation, the higher education institution can submit a new application for the given or similar study programme but no sooner than after two years. The validity of the accreditation can be prolonged repeatedly. While providing an accredited study programme, the higher education institution can apply for accreditation of its extension. If a study programme is not accredited, it is not possible to enrol students, organise instruction and examinations or grant academic titles.

Institutional accreditation means that the higher education institution itself can decide on the implementation of the individual study programmes of given type(s) in the relevant area(s) of education (according to the Government Regulation on Educational Areas in Higher Education). It is granted for a period of ten years or five years if it is awarded for an area or areas of education for which the previous latest application of the higher education institution was rejected. If a higher education institution has not the institutional accreditation and its application for granting the institutional accreditation for one or more educational areas was rejected, it can submit a new application for granting the institutional accreditation no sooner than after two years. The higher education institution with the institutional accreditation can during the period of validity of the institutional accreditation apply for its extension for other educational area or areas or for other type or types of study programmes within the area it has already the institutional accreditation. If the application was rejected, the institution can submit a new application on extension of institutional accreditation no sooner than after two years.

The accreditation of habilitation procedure or procedure for the appointment of a professor is granted for a period of ten years at maximum.

In the case of regulated professions, accreditation is conditional upon the approval of the relevant recognition body that the graduates of the study programme will be adequately prepared to perform the regulated profession. The list of regulated professions and activities together with the relevant recognition bodies is given in the Database of regulated professions and professional activities. The regulated occupations also include teacher, educational childcare staff, special educational needs specialist, psychologist, teacher responsible for leisure activities, teacher's assistant and coach. In this case it is MEYS that gives the consent. The MEYS issued a methodical document Meeting Study Programmes Framework Requirements Allowing Teachers to Practice Regulated Occupations. The Requirements should harmonise basic components of categories studied. Part of the application is a study plan – i.e. a list of the subjects and their inclusion in prescribed study components with credits and hours. The ratios of the study components are expressed in percent, credits and hours according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System.

If the NAB finds serious drawbacks during the realisation of accredited activities, according to their nature it decides:

• on restriction or withdrawal of the accreditation of the study programme;
• on restriction or withdrawal of the institutional accreditation for the educational area;
• on suspension or withdrawal of the accreditation of habilitation procedure or procedure for the appointment of a professor;
• and on restriction or termination of the authorisation to deliver a study programme on the basis of the institutional accreditation.

Restriction of the accreditation of a study programme means to impose a ban on enrolling further applicants to the given study programme. Restriction of the institutional accreditation as the case means termination of the right to organise study programmes in a given educational area or areas and extending the existing study programmes in this educational area or areas. If the reasons for restriction or deferral of the accreditation disappear, the NAB cancels the accepted measure.

The external evaluation of higher education institutions

The Accreditation Bureau executes the external evaluation of educational, creative and relating activities of higher education institutions either on the basis of initiative from the Minister or if agreed by themNAB Council. During the evaluation it can use the results of an internal quality evaluation of activities of the higher education institution and results of possible evaluation made by a generally recognised evaluating agency.

Control and other activities of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is entitled to control the management of public higher education institutions and also private ones if they are allocated resources from the state budget, according to the Act on Budgetary Rules, Act on Inspection, and Act on Financial Control). It is also responsible for requiring from public higher education institution a report on internal evaluation, an annual report on their activities and an annual report on the management of resources. If the resources were granted to private higher education institution, these duties also apply to them. The control of the financial management of public higher education institutions (financial audit) is a part of the overall control activities (plan) carried out by the Control, Supervision and Audit Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The control activity is focused on the results of the financial management of higher education institutions and on the receipt and use of public funds provided to higher education institution from the state budget for educational, research, scientific and art activities and additional funding of the EU programmes. When preparing this plan, the results of past controls by the Ministry of Education must be taken into account as well as the requirements of specialised ministerial departments and possible incentives of the public and/or higher education institutions. Controls should be carried out at each higher education institution each 3 to 5 years. Apart from the Ministry of Education the management of public resources is checked also by the Principal Audit Office and financial authorities.

Other activities of the Ministry of Education:

• registers the internal regulations of higher education institutions (with the exception of state HEIs), while checking the correctness of compliance with legal regulations; checks the quality of management when evaluating the strategic plan during the registration of internal regulations of higher education institutions;
• grants state consent to the operation of a private higher education institution and a permit or authorisation to provide foreign higher education in Czechia and controls compliance with legal regulations in this area;
• maintains some registers stipulated by law;
• discusses and evaluates the strategic plans of public and private higher education institutions and annual plans for their implementation; in the case of state higher education institutions, this function is performed by departmental ministries;
• annually prepares and publishes an annual report on the state of higher education (since 2012, joint annual reports on state and the development of the education have been issued for all educational levels) and the Strategic Plan of the Ministry for Higher Education.

A complete list of activities of the Ministry of Education – Responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in the chapter Organisation and Governance.

Internal evaluation in higher education

In addition to quality assurance and internal quality evaluation itself, the higher education institutions (vysoké školy) also ensure internal activities within the accreditation and elaborate the annual reports and strategic plans. Most requirements are the same for public, state and private higher education institutions (possible differences are emphasised in the text below; unless otherwise stated, the information applies to both public and state higher education institutions).

Quality assurance and internal evaluation of quality

The Higher Education Act imposes on higher education institution (since 1 September 2016) a duty to introduce and maintain a system of quality assurance of educational, creative and relating activities and system of internal evaluation of quality of educational, creative and relating activities. For the public higher education institutions, the Higher Education Act include the assurance and internal evaluation of quality into the important autonomous activities. The Act also distributes the responsibilities between bodies of the HEI. Rules for quality assurance and internal evaluation of quality are set by a public higher education institution in its internal regulation (specific internal regulations are not prescribed for private schools). The framework for this internal regulation is set in the Higher Education Act and its two implementation regulations: The Government Regulation on Standards for Accreditation in Higher Education and the Government Regulation on Areas of Education in Higher Education.

The quality assurance of educational, creative and related activities includes the application of the intentions and procedures of the higher education institutions in this area, based on:

1. the definition of the mission and strategy of the higher education institution;
2. the definition of the duties of head academics and members of the bodies of the higher education institution and its components in relation to the quality of educational, creative and related activities;
3. the organisation of the higher education institution, the determination of the competence, powers and duties of the bodies, head academics and members of the bodies of the higher education institution and its components;
4. financial, personnel and information resources for the performance of educational and related creative activities;
5. cooperation and mutual relations of the higher education institution with other higher education institutions, with public research institutions and other legal entities engaged in research, experimental development or innovations, with employers of graduates of higher education institution, with entrepreneurs operating in the industrial and commercial sphere, with business associations and other persons or bodies carrying out, supporting or using the educational or creative activity of higher education institutions or their results;
6. standards and procedures for internal evaluation of the quality of educational, creative and related activities of the higher education institution,
7. corrective and preventive measures and measures taken for improvement;
8. internal documents and records related to quality assurance of educational, creative and related activities of the higher education institution.

Internal evaluation consists mainly:

• in the application of standards and procedures of internal evaluation of quality (set by the internal regulation – see above);
• in preparation of a report on internal evaluation of quality which describes achieved quality outputs of the higher education institution in the educational and creative activity and measures taken for removing possible drawbacks (prepared within the terms set by the internal regulations of the higher education institution, but at least once every five years, it is updated annually by an appendix describing changes achieved in quality and control measures; framework results are published in the annual activity report);
• in making available the report on internal evaluation end its supplements to bodies and members of bodies of the higher education institution and its parts, to the National Accreditation Bureau for Tertiary Education and to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports;
• in publishing general results of evaluation in the annual report on activities of the higher education institution.

Internal processes within accreditation

The intention to submit the application for accreditation is approved by the Scientific Board of the public higher education institution, or the Scientific Board of the Faculty, private institutions determine the competencies of their bodies themselves. Granting the institutional accreditation to a higher education institution confirms its competence to create and carry out a given type or types of study programmes (Bachelor, Master, Doctoral) in a given area or areas of education. A higher education institution sets the details of the procedure for internal approval of its study programmes (internal accreditation) in its internal regulation.

The basic condition for granting accreditation is a functioning system of quality assurance and internal evaluation of quality. In case a higher education institution applies for the institutional accreditation or accreditation of a study programme , the Higher Education Act further obliges it to elaborate the so called self-evaluating report, which encompasses educational area/areas for which the institution applies for accreditation of given study programme. The report describes and evaluates the fulfilment of the requirements under the relevant standards for accreditation.

Annual reports and strategic plans

Every year, all higher education institutions have to prepare an annual report on its activities, submit it to the Ministry of Education and publish it. A public higher education institution (and private provided it received subsidy on its activities) also has to submit an annual economic report. The date and the form is set by the Minister of Education. The framework structure of an annual report on activities of a higher education institution is available (in Czech) at the website of the Ministry as well as the instruction for processing the annual economic report (in Czech). In the case of a public higher education institution, both reports are approved by the Academic Senate and then discussed by the Board of Trustees.

The annual report on HEI's activities comprises:

• a survey of activities in a calendar year
• the general outcomes of evaluation of its activities
• changes in internal rules and changes in the bodies of higher education institution, which occured during the year
• other items set by the board of trustees

The institution's annual economic report comprises:

• regular balance and an appraisal of basic data
• the auditor's report on the verification of the financial statements, if verified by an auditor
• a survey of incomes and expenditures by sources
• overview of income and revenue broken down by source
• the development and final state of funds
• the state and movement of property and obligations
• total costs broken down into costs for performing supplementary and other activities

Higher education institutions are also obliged to prepare, discuss with the Ministry of Education and publish the strategic plan for educational and creative activities of the higher education institutions (usually once every five years) and annual plans for its implementation. The exact date and form is determined by the Minister of Education. The strategic plan is decisive for the amount of contributions and subsidies provided to the higher education institution and also for granting state approval to operate as a private higher education institution. The results of the work of a higher education institution are measured by this plan. It builds on and further develops, in the conditions of the institution, the framework given by the Strategic Plan of the Ministry for Higher Education, which, together with its annual implementation plan, is prepared by the Ministry.

The annual activity report, annual management report, strategic plan must be publicly available. The conditions for state higher education institutions are similar to those for public higher education institutions. However, the competence of the Ministry / Minister of Education is exercised by departmental Ministries / Ministers. The board of trustees also does not work at state universities.