The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) has become the latest institution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to receive global accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK’s independent quality body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education.
The global accreditation is awarded to international institutions who have passed the QAA’s rigorous International Quality Review (IQR), which measures global institutions against international quality assurance standards set out in Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
The review took place between 27 and 29 September 2021 and was completed by a team of three independent reviewers who were appointed by QAA. In making their conclusions, the review team confirmed that AURAK meets all 10 of the internal quality assurance standards in the ESG.
The review team also identified features of good practice including:
- the developmental, discussive, reflective and non-punitive (for students and faculty) steps taken by the University to tackle grade inflation through the use of grading guidelines.
Professor Hassan Al Alkim, President, American University of Ras Al Khaimah said: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank the AURAK family and supporters for their loyalty, dedication, and hard work. Without them, AURAK would not be the exemplar of educational excellence it is. Today our aspirations and our hard work have been realized.’
‘In gaining QAA accreditation we join a community of highly respected institutions. This accreditation validates our claims of providing students with a highly rigorous curriculum from the credentialed and highly knowledgeable staff we have always strived to hire and support. AURAK has achieved in a very short time what some other institutions have failed to do in decades.’
Vicki Stott, QAA’s Chief Executive said: ‘I warmly congratulate the American University of Ras Al Khaimah on this excellent achievement. In achieving global accreditation, they have demonstrated that the institution meets standards of international best practice. We look forward to seeing how global accreditation supports them in developing new partnerships with UK and European institutions.’
AURAK has obtained QAA institutional accreditation for a period of five years, subject to a satisfactory mid-cycle review. This allows them to display QAA’s IQR Accreditation Badge, demonstrating that their quality assurance procedures are comparable with international best practice. Through achieving QAA global accreditation, AURAK is also eligible to become a QAA International Member. International Quality Review is carried out in QAA’s capacity supporting the development of higher education quality internationally, including activity to support QAA Members and collaboration with international partners.
By securing global accreditation from QAA, international institutions can clearly spotlight that their quality assurance systems meet international standards, providing trust and confidence for their stakeholders and facilitating open and collaborative dialogue with institutions outside their own country. For more information about the IQR process, visit our website. If you are interested in your institution signing up and wish to discuss this further, contact Stephanie Sandford, Director of International and Professional Services.
