Accreditation of Public and Private Universities in the Republic of Serbia 200 8 -2010

1. Accreditation of Public and Private Universities in the Republic of Serbia 2008-2010 Republic of Serbia COMMISSION FOR ACCREDITATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

2. 2005-2006 • 2005.– adoption of the Law on Higher Education • 2006.– constitution of the National council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assurance (CAQA) • 2006.NCHE, after the CAQA suggestion, adopted: • Standards for accreditation of institutions and study programs • Standards for self-evaluation and assessment of institutional quality • Standards for external institutional quality assurance

3. Standards for accreditation of institutions Standard 1: Basic tasks and aims of an institution of higher learning Standard 2: Planning and control Standard 3: Organization and management Standard 4: Studies Standard 5: Scientific-research and artistic work Standard 6:Teaching staff Standard 7:Non-teaching staff Standard 8:Students Standard 9:Facilities and equipment Standard 10: Library, textbooks, and information technology (IT) support Standard 11:Financial resources Standard 12:Internal mechanisms of quality assurance Standard 13. Activities open to the general public

4. Standards for accreditation of the study programs of I and II level of studies Standard 1:Structure of the study program Standard 2:Purpose of the study program Standard 3:Aims of the study program Standard 4: Competences of graduate students Standard 5: Curriculum Standard 6: Quality, up-to-datedness, and international co-ordination of the study program Standard 7: Student admission Standard 8: Student assessment and progress Standard 9: Teachers Standard 10: Organization and material resources Standard 11: Quality control Standard 12: Distance studies

5. Standards for accreditation of study programs of doctoral studies Special standard: Competence of an institution of higher learning for the realization of doctoral studies Standard 1:Study program structure Standard 2:Study program purpose Standard 3: Study program aims Standard 4: Competences of graduate students Standard 5: Curriculum Standard 6: Quality, up-to-datedness, and international co-ordination of the study program Standard 7: Student admission Standard 8: Student assessment and progress Standard 9: Teachers Standard 10: Organization and material resources Standard 11: Quality control

6. 2006-2007 • CAQA selects 700 reviewers (10%) • There were 20 single day seminars in order to train the reviewers • There were 4 seminars with 856 participants from all the institutions in Serbia, dedicated to the preparation of accreditation documents

7. 2008-2010Accreditation of universities • 18 universities applied for accreditation: 8 public (7+1) 10 private (7+3) • Up to September 2010, the following were accredited: 7 public universities(87.5%) Universities in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac, Priština, Novi Pazar, and the University of Defense 5 private universities(50%) Singidunum, Megatrend, Educons, Academy of Economy, and Metropoliten

8. 2008-2010Accreditation of all study programs • Up to September 2010, in all 18 universities the following were accredited: • 959 study programs for 61495 students admitted to the first year, out of which • in public universities 791 study programs for 51689 students (84%) • in private universities 168 study programs for 9806 students (16%)

9. 2008-2010Accreditation of study programs of doctoral studies • Up to September 2010, in all 18 universities, the total number of students admitted to the first year of doctoral studies at accredited study programs was 3027, out of which • in public universities: 2816 (93%) • in private universities: 211 (7%)

10. Structure of the accredited study programs • By their accreditation field, study programs can be divided into 5 groups: • In public universities: ТТ (technic-technology): 40%;HS (humanities and social sciences: 30%;NM (natural sciences and mathematics: 9.5%;MS (medical sciences)9.5%; A (arts):10% • In private universities: ТТ: 15%;HS: 55%;NM: 11%;MS:2%;A: 17%

11. Outcomes of accreditation of faculties • 83 public and 40 private faculties entered the accreditation process • According to the original accreditation decision, the outcomes were as follows: Public: 67% accredited, 33% warning letter Private: 15% accredited, 80% warning letter, 5% declined • After the amendments requested in warning letters: Public : 93% accredited, 7% warning letter Private: 55% accredited, 13% warning letter, 32% declined • After the decisions issued after the appeals to the NCHE Private: 72% accredited, 15% declined

12. Outcomes of accreditation of study programs • 1064 study programs from public and 262 from private faculties entered the accreditation process • According to the original accreditation decision, the outcomes were as follows : Public: 64% accredited, 36% warning letter Private: 25% accredited, 68% warning letter, 7% declined • After the amendments requested in warning letters : Public : 88% accredited, 11% warning letter, 1% declined Private : 59% accredited, 17% warning letter, 24% declined • After the decisions issued after the appeals to the NCHE Public : 88% accredited, 1% declined Private : 65% accredited, 18% declined

13. Future activities in quality improvement • Institutions have to prepare their self-evaluation reports (3 years); • CAQA is obliged to perform external quality control of all institutions and study programs (2011); • From 2012 onwards, the next accreditation of all institutions and study programs is to begin (5 years)

14. Future activities in quality improvement of the CAQA • Full membership in the ENQA • Steps taken: • Rectors’ Conference in Belgrade, October 2009. • “Mute Application” organized bу the European Council, December 2009. • The CAQA became a signee of the joint declaration about the ENQA membership of all regional accreditation bodies, May2010. • Visit of the five member delegation of the CAQA to the ENQA headquarters in Helsinki, organized by the WUS, June2010. • Application for“Candidate Membership”, August 2010. • Self-evaluation report preparation, October 2010. • Application for the visit of an expert tean, the positive report of which precedes full membership, 2011.