Universiteti i Prishtinës

Accreditation and Quality Assurance

Study programs in the Republic of Kosovo are accredited by the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA), which is the institution responsible for quality assurance in higher education. KAA was established based on the relevant legislation (LAW NO. 08/L-110) and acts as an independent body that carries out accreditation, re-accreditation and monitoring of higher education institutions and their study programs.

Accreditation procedures and standards are defined in the official documents of the KAA, especially in the Accreditation Manual (No. 04/2024), which describes the criteria, standards and steps of the external quality assessment process.

The process of accreditation of study programs includes three main phases that constitute the complete accreditation cycle:

1) Preparation and application to the KAA for accreditation of study programs,

2) Evaluation of study programs by international and local experts, and

3)The post-accreditation phase, which includes monitoring and continuous improvement of the quality of accredited programs.

The first phase is of great importance, therefore the University of Pristina has approved Regulation No. 782, on 14.04.2025 "Regulations on the internal evaluation process in the institutional accreditation and re-accreditation procedure and that of study programs at the University of Pristina" which determine the internal evaluation procedure and the preparation of documentation for the accreditation and re-accreditation process of study programs.

The second phase of the accreditation process consists of the site visit conducted by an international expert panel, usually composed of three experts, together with representatives of the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA). During this visit, meetings are organized with the faculty management, the quality assurance office, programme coordinators, current students, and graduates. In the case of programme reaccreditation, meetings are also held with representatives of institutions or organizations where graduates are employed. The expert panel also inspects the infrastructure and all facilities relevant to the implementation of the study programme. The experts receive the full application documentation, including the self-evaluation report, prior to the site visit. After completing the evaluation process, the experts prepare a detailed report which is submitted to the faculty management. The institution has the right to respond or provide comments if it disagrees with any part of the report. Subsequently, the State Quality Council makes the final decision on whether the programme will be accredited or not, based on the recommendations of the experts. Each decision is accompanied by justification and evidence explaining the outcome of the evaluation. The accreditation period is typically three or five years.

The third phase concerns the post-accreditation period and includes the monitoring of accreditation conditions by the KAA, as well as the follow-up of the implementation of the experts’ recommendations to ensure the continuous improvement of the quality of the study programme.

The following is an organogram that shows the dynamics of the preparatory process for accreditation/re-accreditation of study programs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREPARATORY PROCESS FOR ACCREDITATION/REACREDITATION OF STUDY PROGRAMS

Note: Used abbreviations are defined at Table 1 of this document

ACTIVITY		TIMELINE	PERSONS responsible
Announcement for starting the process for accreditation and re-accreditation of study programs.		January 1st of the previous year expiration of accreditation	OAD
Clarification: Academic units (AC) continue to implement mechanisms related to quality assurance and development documentation, regardless of this deadline. Meanwhile, no later than January 1, the AUs are officially informed by the OAD about the start of the preparation of relevant documents for study programs that are subject to the accreditation/re-accreditation process.
After the notification from the OAD the Dean starts the preparation of Self-Evaluation Reports (SER) for accreditation/re-accreditation and study program for applications		Immediately after 1^st of January	Dean
The Dean’s responsibility of AU is to begin organizing the preparation of study programs from January 1, specifically, the preparation of the SER and applications for programs in the new/accreditation process.
Appointment of working groups for the preparation of the SER		Beginning of January	ChD/Dean
The department must establish a professional group to draft SER for study programs and inform the ChD about this group. The working group includes: ChD, HP, members of the department and representatives from industry, respectively the labor market, as well as a student of the study program.
The ChD submits the SER for review by the respective Vice-Dean and the SC.		No later than March 15 of the relevant year	ChD, SC and Dean
After working together with the working group, the ChD submit the first drafts of the SER to the respective vice-dean who, in coordination with the Dean of the Faculty, proceeds for approval to the SVC and the SC of the Faculty.
Review and approval of SERs by the SC at faculty and the FC		No later than March 25 of the relevant year	SC & FC
The SC reviews the applications and SERs of the relevant study programs, which are under accreditation and re-accreditation, provides comments as needed and then proposes their approval to the Faculty Council.
Sending of SERs and applications.		By April 1st at the latest	AU/Dean/CAD
The AU through CDA, submit to the OAD the necessary application documents, which include Draft SER and Application (first page of the application, program learning outcomes, list of holders and the decision of the FC).
Checking applications and sending them for review to the Quality Assurance Commission QAC		By April 10th at the latest	OAD
The OAD checks the draft SER and applications received from the AU for checking data and forwards them to the QAC for review.
Review of documentation by QAC and approval or return for additions/changes.		April 10 – May 15	QAC / OAD
QAC reviews the documentation submitted by the AU and approves it or returns it with suggestions for additions/changes, through the CAD, preparing a written report for each study program in accreditation and re-accreditation.
Organizing meetings with CAD and HP.		April 10 – May 15	QAC / OAD
The OAD, in coordination with the QAC, invites CAD and HP for discussions regarding study programs that are in the process of being evaluated for Accreditation.
Sending QAC reports from the OAD to the CAD of the AU.		By May 20th at the latest	OAD
The OAD sends reports with suggestions from the QAC for necessary additions to all study programs in the evaluation process.
The AU addresses the comments provided by the QAC and the OAD and resends the SER to the OAD, through the CAD.		By the 5th at the latest June	AU / CAD/OAD
The AU completes/amends the SER with the suggestions previously received from the QAC/OAD and resends the final version of the SER to the OAD which are then approved by the QAC. At the same time, the AU can start translating the SER into English all documents.
Verification of the addressing of comments and sending programs for accreditation / reaccreditation to the SC and Senate.	No later than the 15^thJune		OAD / QAC
After the comments addressed by the OAD/QAC have been verified, the programs are processed to the SC for approval and then to the Senate.
Sending programs for approval to the SC and Senate UP.	By the 18th at the latest June		OAD
The OAD processes for approval in the SC and then in the Senate only those study programs that are in the Accreditation process.
Approval of study programs for accreditation by the SC and the UP Senate.	June 20 – July 10		SC and Senate
The SC, then the University Senate, approves or disapproves the study programs that are in the accreditation process.
Submission of applications for accreditation and re-accreditation to the Kosovo Accreditation Agency	Between July 1st and 31st		OAD
The OAD submits Applications for re-accreditation within the time limit according to the Accreditation Agency law.
Submission of the complete file with relevant documentation (SER, CV, Syllabus) in both languages (Albanian & English) and other relevant documents to the OAD.	No later than 31 July		AU/CAD
AU are obliged to submit the complete file to the CAD, within 1 to 31 of July to submit all documents to OAD including the SER, course syllabi and CV in both languages (Albanian & English), as well as other documents relevant to the study programs, through the CAD.
Declaration of academic staff online in e-accreditation system web based	July 1 to 31		OAD/AU/CAD
Within the legal deadline, from July 1-31, all academic staff are required to declare themselves on the e-Accreditation platform.
Submission of the complete file with relevant documentation (SER, CV, Syllabus) in both languages (Albanian & English) and other relevant documents to the OAD.	No later than 15 working days after approval of the application by the SQC/KAA		OAD
Based on the Law on the Kosovo Accreditation Agency, the Academic Development Office submits the complete File to the Kosovo Accreditation Agency within 15 days after the approval/approval of the applications by the SQC/KAA.

According to by the decision of the Kosovo Accreditation Agency, with reference 609/25, dated 02.06.2025, the study program " Veterinary Medicine " has been accredited for the period October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2028.

Given the duration of accreditation and the procedures established for the preparation of documentation, the process for re-accreditation of the program should begin on January 1, 2027. For this reason, in the tables presented above, the deadlines have been set so that preparatory activities take place during the previous year before the expiration of accreditation, in accordance with the institutional dynamics of preparing applications for re-accreditation.

Table 1. Used abbreviations in this document

Nr	Abbreviations	Meaning
1	AU	Academic Unit
2	CAD	Coordinator for Academic Development
3	ChD	Cheef of Depatrment
4	CV	Corriculum Vitae
5	FC	Faculty Council, at the academic unit
6	HP	Holder of Program
7	KAA	Kosovo Acreditation Agency
8	OAD	Office for Academic Development at UP level
9	QAC	Quality Assurance Commission at UP;
10	SQC	State Quality Council at KAA
11	SC	Studies Commission at faculty level;
12	SER	Self Evaluation Report
13	UP	University of Pristina

Publikuar me: Shkarko