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Accreditation/EQA | Bhutan Qualifications and Professionals Certification Authority

BQPCA convened its first General Council meeting on June 4, 2024

Accreditation/EQA


Accreditation is one of the most important tools used globally for quality assurance of higher education systems. There are two types of accreditations: institutional accreditation and programme accreditation. Accreditation is based on the Accreditation: Principles, Processes and Standards for the Tertiary Education Institutions in Bhutan 2012. Accreditation aims to assess its own performance, review its planning procedure and identify ways to enhance its educational effectiveness. The accreditation process is based on a thorough and independent evaluation carried out by a team of trained assessors. A Higher Education Institution shall be evaluated against eight standards outlined in the Institutional Accreditation Manual (IAM) 2020. link to the Institutional Accreditation Manual and Rubrics for Institutional Accreditation, and the Accreditation Principles

The accreditation process as outlined in the IAM will assess a HEI based on a set of eight Standards which are formulated through wide stakeholder consultations, research and international best practice. Each Standard has Key Aspects and Indicators that are significant, relevant, measurable and achievable. The eight Standards are:

  1. Governance, Leadership and Management 
  2. Curriculum Design and Review
  3. Teaching Learning and Assessment
  4. Human Resources and Services
  5. Research, Publications and Linkages
  6. Infrastructure and Learning Resources
  7. Student Services
  8. Internal Quality Assurance and Enhancement System

The grading is based on the marks obtained out of 1000 as follows:

Range of Total Weighted Average ScoreGradePerformance DescriptorValidity
851-1000A+Excellent5 years
751-850AVery Good4 years
501-750BGood3 years
376-500CSatisfactory2 years
375 and belowDUnsatisfactory/Not AccreditedNot Accredited

The Council conducted pilot accreditation in 2015 with help of two experts from Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). The Council embarked on real accreditation in 2016 and by the end of 2022, the first cycle of accreditation was completed for all eligible HEIs in Bhutan. The Council began the 2nd cycle accreditation from 2021-2022. 

The details of the accreditation status and their validity are as follows:

S/NoInstitutionsDate of Site VisitGradeValidity of CertificateAccreditor’s Report
1. Gedu College of Business Studies www.gcbs.edu.bt23 – 26 May 2016A (Very Good)28.06.2022➢ View report
2. Royal Thimphu College www.rtc.bt1 – 4 June 2016A+(Excellent)28.06.2023➢ View report
3.Arura Academy of Health Sciences www.arura.edu.bt21-24 October 2019C (Satisfactory)15.12.2022 ➢ View report
4. Faculty of Nursing and Public Health www.fnph.edu.bt12 – 15 June 2017B (Good)27.06.2022➢ View report
5. Faculty of Traditional Medicine www.ftm.edu.bt5 – 8 June 2017B (Good)27.06.2022➢ View report
6. Paro College of Education www.pce.edu.bt22 – 25 May 2017B (Good)27.06.2022➢ View report
7. Samtse College of Education www.sce.edu.bt15 – 18 May 2017A (Very Good)27.06.2023➢ View report
8. College of Science and Technology www.cst.edu.bt6-9 November 2017A (Very Good)07.01.2024➢ View report
9. Jigme Namgyel Engineering College www.jnec.edu.bt13-16 November 2017A(Very Good)07.01.2024➢ View report
10. Sherubtse College www.sherubtse.edu.bt20-23 November 2017A (Very Good)07.01.2024➢ View report
11. College of Natural Resources www.cnr.edu.bt19-22 March 2018A (Very Good)09.05.2024➢ View report
12. College of Language and Culture Studies www.clcs.edu.bt26-29 March 2018A (Very Good)09.05.2024➢ View report
13. Royal Institute of Management www.rim.edu.bt2-5 April 2018A (Very Good)09.05.2024➢ View report
14Faculty of Postgraduate Medicinehttp://fopgm.edu.bt/10-14th May, 2021B (Good)01/06/2024➢ View report

Details of Second Cycle of Accreditation

S/NoInstitutionsDate of Site VisitGradeValidity of CertificateAccreditor’s Report
1Gedu College of Business Studies  www.gcbs.edu.bt25-29 April 2022B (Good)28.06.2025 ➢ View report
2Faculty of Traditional Medicines www.ftm.edu.bt25-29 April 2022A (VeryGood)27.06.2026 ➢ View report
3Faculty of Nursing and Public Health www.fnph.edu.bt3-7 May 2022A  (VeryGood)27.06.2026 ➢ View report
4Paro College of Education www.pce.edu.bt3-7 May 2022A  (VeryGood)27.06.2026 ➢ View report
5Norbuling Rigter College www.nrc.bt20-25 November 2022B  (Good)19.12.2025 ➢ View report
6Arura Academy of Health www.arura.edu.bt20-25 November 2022B  (Good)15.12.2025 ➢ View report
7Royal Thimphu College www.rtc.bt1-5 May 2023A+  (Excellent)28.6.2028 ➢ View report
8Samtse College of Education www.sce.edu.bt6-10 November 2022A  (Very Good)27.06.2027 ➢ View report
9Jigme Namgyel Engineering College www.jnec.edu.bt5-9 December 2024A  (Very Good)7.01.2028 ➢ View report