The prolongation of accreditation of higher education institutions and study programmes

The procedure for prolonging the accreditation of a higher education institution or study programme is initiated with the lodging of the application of the higher education institution and continued with external evaluation; it is concluded with the decision on the prolongation of accreditation.

The higher education institution must lodge the application for the prolongation of accreditation at least one year prior to the expiry of accreditation. If the higher education institution lodges the application in due time under the previous sentence, however, the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education doesn’t decide on the prolongation until the expiry of the accreditation, it is considered that the accreditation remains valid until the new decision on the prolongation of accreditation becomes final.

The higher education institution must lodge the application for the prolongation of accreditation of study programmes at least one year prior to the expiry of the accreditation. If the higher education institution lodges the application in due time under the previous sentence, however, the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education doesn’t decide on the prolongation until the expiry of accreditation validity; it is considered that the accreditation remains valid until the new decision on the prolongation of accreditation becomes final.

External evaluation is performed by a group of experts appointed by the council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (hereinafter referred to as the Agency).

The group of experts, at least three months from appointment, prepares the evaluation report based on the review of the self-evaluation report of the higher education institution and other documentation, which is determined by the Agency and based on the view of the higher education institution. The evaluation report is sent to the higher education institution which can submit their comments within one month from the receipt of the report. If the higher education institution provides comments on the evaluation report, the group of experts prepares the final evaluation report after assessing the comments, i.e. within one month after receipt of the comments. If the higher education institution doesn’t submit comments to the evaluation report, the report becomes final.

The evaluation report comprises the assessment of fulfilling the criteria for accreditation and an external evaluation of the higher education institution or study programme as well as other elements specifically determined by the Agency's council.

The self-evaluation report of the higher education institution, the final evaluation report of the group of experts and potential comments of the higher education institution to the evaluation report are submitted to the Agency's council within seven days after the preparation of the final evaluation report. Based on received documentation, the Agency's council decides on prolonging the accreditation of the higher education institution or the study programme within three months after receiving the documentation.

In the process of prolonging the accreditation, the Agency's council adopts one of the following decisions:

•  it prolongs the accreditation of the higher education institution or study programme for the period of seven years,
• prolongs the accreditation of the higher education institution or study programme for a shorter period that cannot be longer than three years
• or discontinues the accreditation of the higher education institution or the study programme.

The Agency's council prolongs the accreditation of the higher education institution or the study programme for a shorter period of time if it finds any deficiencies in the operations of the higher education institution or in the implementation of the study programme, and determines a deadline for the elimination of deficiencies by the higher education institution. An evaluation is performed again after the expiry of the deadline, based on this evaluation the Agency's council once again decides on accreditation, whereby it can prolong the accreditation of the higher education institution or the study programme for a period of seven years or does not prolong the accreditation of the higher education institution or the study programme.

If the Agency's council does not prolong the accreditation of the higher education institution or the study programme, the validity of accreditation expires at the end of the study year, whereby the decision of the Agency's decision becomes final.