10.2 Quality Assurance in Higher Education

Quality assurance in higher education in Georgia is based on a comprehensive legal and institutional framework that ensures the quality, transparency, and international competitiveness of higher education institutions and programmes. Over the past two decades, the system has undergone significant reforms, aligning national practices with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

The main legislative acts governing quality assurance in higher education are the Law of Georgia on Higher Education (2004, as amended) and the Law on Education Quality Enhancement 2010. These laws establish the principles of institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and accountability, while defining principles for authorisation, accreditation, and follow-up evaluation.

The institution responsible for external quality assurance is the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE), which operates as a legal entity of public law under the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia. NCEQE is responsible for institutional authorisation, programme accreditation, the development of quality assurance methodologies, the creation of a capacity-building environment, and ensuring alignment with ESG principles.  

Authorization grants a higher education institution the right to operate, confirming that it meets the established requirements for institutional functioning. These include organizational structure and management, Quality Enhancement Opportunities and Resources, Educational Programmes, Student support services, Research Activities and their development. 

Accreditation is conducted at the level of educational programmes and assesses their compliance with quality standards. It focuses on key aspects such as programme design and learning outcomes, teaching and learning processes, student assessment, quality assurance mechanisms, and the integration of research and practical components.

The quality assurance system has evolved through several stages of reform. Institutional accreditation was introduced in 2005, followed by the establishment of authorization as an institutional quality assurance mechanism in 2010 and programme accreditation in 2011. Together, these elements form the current external quality assurance framework

Since 2016, reforms have gradually shifted the system from a compliance-based approach towards a more development-oriented model. These reforms place greater emphasis on learning outcomes, institutional performance, and continuous improvement of educational quality. Since 2017, the Authorization Standards have been substantially revised and aligned with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG - 2015), strengthening the content, consistency and transparency of quality assurance processes and placing particular emphasis on student-centered learning and the achievement of intended learning outcomes.

In 2018, updated accreditation standards placed greater emphasis on student-centered learning, the assessment of learning outcomes, and the broader involvement of stakeholders in quality assurance processes. In 2022, a cluster accreditation model was introduced, allowing institutions to accredit groups of related programmes within a single framework. This approach improves efficiency and supports greater consistency and comparability across programmes within the same field. The implementation of cluster accreditation is supported by discipline-specific benchmarks in higher education (108 sectoral benchmarks have been approved to date), which provide detailed reference points for evaluating academic fields and ensuring consistent quality across disciplines.

The frequency of evaluation is determined by the accreditation cycle, which generally lasts for seven years, with interim monitoring to verify compliance. Evaluation is carried out by peer-review panels composed of qualified national and international experts, including academic staff and employers, and student representatives. 

Evaluation criteria, standards and procedures are standardized and publicly available on the NCEQE website. 

Each higher education institution in Georgia is required to maintain an internal quality assurance system as part of its institutional governance. Internal QA structures monitor teaching, research, and management processes, collect and analyse data, and prepare annual self-evaluation reports. These internal mechanisms are expected to be development-oriented, encouraging reflection, innovation, and dialogue within institutions. 

Institutions are encouraged to align their internal systems with ESG principles, ensuring that quality assurance encompasses all dimensions of academic activity, including student support services and the use of learning analytics. The NCEQE provides methodological support and capacity-building programmes to strengthen internal QA capacities across universities. 

The most recent legislative reforms, adopted in June 2024, have extended Georgia’s quality assurance framework to address the rapid expansion of digital and distance education. Amendments to the Law on Higher Education and the Law on Education Quality Enhancement established a regulatory framework for e-learning and for partial or full online master’s programmes. Programmes delivered entirely online must undergo a specific re-accreditation process to verify technological adequacy, academic quality, and student assessment mechanisms. 

In 2024, further system-level developments were introduced to enhance alignment with the European Higher Education Area, particularly through the advancement of quality assurance mechanisms in doctoral education. A comprehensive framework document on doctoral education (accreditation standards) was approved, establishing specific criteria and indicators for the effective evaluation of doctoral programmes. This initiative aims to strengthen the research component and promote the integration of research and teaching. 

A key focus of the document is ensuring the quality of the research environment, upholding academic integrity and research ethics, developing supportive services for doctoral candidates, promoting the scientific productivity of academic staff, and fostering the internationalization of doctoral education and research.

In addition, Georgia’s higher education quality assurance system combines legal rigour with a commitment to institutional autonomy and developmental improvement. Continuous reforms since 2016 have transformed QA from a procedural requirement into an instrument of strategic modernization and international integration. By embedding ESG principles, introducing cluster accreditation, and expanding oversight to include digital learning and doctoral education standards, Georgia has positioned its higher education sector within the evolving European Higher Education Area, emphasizing quality, transparency, and innovation as central pillars of its academic future.