09.12.2021
governance

Institutional accreditation

Every seven years, all Estonian higher education institutions must undergo external evaluation – institutional accreditation. The assessment visit took place from 11 to 14 April 2022. In July, the assessment council of the Estonian Quality Agency for Higher and Vocational Education (EKKA) decided to accredit the University of Tartu for the next seven years.

Institutional accreditation is an external evaluation in the course of which Estonian Quality Agency for Education (HAKA, previously EKKA) assesses compliance of the management, administration, teaching and research activities, as well as the environments of education and research at a higher education institution (HEI), with legislation and with the objectives and development plan of that HEI. The purpose of institutional accreditation is to support the development of strategic management and quality culture that values learning-centeredness, creativity and innovation in the HEIs, as well as to increase the societal impact of education, research and development delivered by the HEIs.

Kvaliteedimärk
Author: Erakogu

Until 2025 the HEI was assessed according to twelve standards. Assessment focuses on the core processes of the HEI – learning and teaching, research, development and creative activities, and service to society – as well as on strategic management of the organisation, resource management, academic ethics, quality culture and internationalisation. The learning and teaching process is examined under five standards: study programme, teaching staff, learning and teaching, student assessment and learning support processes. Starting from 2026, institutional accreditation of higher education institutions is conducted on the basis of three assessment areas and nine quality criteria. Study programmes will no longer be assessed on as part of the institutional accreditation process. (see also the institutional accreditation guidelines).

Read more about the institutional accreditation received in 2022.

To assess the application of principles and regulations established at the institutional level in the learning and teaching process, as well as the performance of an internal evaluation system for study programmes offered at the higher education institution, EKKA assessed a sample of study programmes during the 2022 institutional accreditation process. The University of Tartu and EKKA jointly selected six study programmes, the results of whose internal evaluations were included in the university’s institutional accreditation self-evaluation report.

  • Entrepreneurship and Digital Solutions (professional higher education, Narva College),
  • Law (bachelor's studies),
  • Biology and Biodiversity Conservation (bachelor's studies),
  • Translation and Interpreting Studies (master's studies),
  • International Relations and Regional Studies (English-taught master's studies),
  • Robotics and Computer Engineering (English-taught master's studies).
  • Jürgen Kohler – chair of the committee; Professor, Greifswald University (Germany)
  • Fiona Ruth Crozier – secretary of the committee; independent consultant (United Kingdom)
  • Engel-Mari Mölder – student, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia)
  • Liz Bacon – Professor, Abertay University (United Kingdom)
  • Laurent Counillon – Professor, Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (France)
  • Markus Dettenhofer – reseacher, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (Czechia)
  • Anca Greere – Professor, Babeș-Bolyai University (Romania)
  • Aalt Willem Heringa – Professor, Maastricht University (Netherlands)
  • Jonas Hinnfors – Professor, University of Gothenburg (Sweden)
  • Sokratis K. Katsikas – Director, Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors (NORCICS) (Norway)
  • Andres Kütt – member from outside of HEIs; CTO, Jio Egov Center of Excellence (Estonia)
  • Oliver Vettori – Dean, WU Vienna (Austria)

Read the 2022 self-evaluation report of the University of Tartu.

Short videos introducing the university

Watch the videos for an overview of the University of Tartu’s academic buildings, learning environment, and faculty activities in 2022.

Further information
Dorel Tamm-Klaos
Dorel Tamm-Klaos
PhD (Economics and Business Administration)
Area of Rector
Rector's Strategy Office
Quality Manager
+372 507 6770
Ülikooli 18–138