The University of Erfurt was successfully system-accredited in 2021 and has since been allowed to award the seal of the Accreditation Council for the study programmes it has reviewed.
To this end, the structures and processes relevant to teaching and studies were reviewed as part of an external assessment and the university had to demonstrate that it carries out a regular assessment of the study programmes ("internal accreditation") in accordance with the legal regulations and involves internal and external students, external academic and professional practice representatives and graduates.
With the successfully completed system accreditation, the University of Erfurt has acquired the right to carry out the quality assurance and development of the degree programmes on its own responsibility and independently of external agencies.
As the system accreditation is limited until 30 September 2027, the QM in Studies and Teaching staff unit is currently preparing the system reaccreditation.
In contrast to internal accreditation, system accreditation reviews and accredits the entire quality management system of a higher education institution, including all structures and processes of quality assurance and development in the areas of teaching and learning. An accreditation agency is commissioned by the university for this purpose and appoints a group of experts for the assessment. Once the procedure has been completed, an application for system accreditation is submitted to the Accreditation Council. Successful system accreditation gives the university the right to accredit its study programmes independently and to award the seal of the Accreditation Council.