Flemish Universities and Colleges Council

Overview

The Vlaamse Universiteiten en Hogescholen Raad (VLUHR), known in English as the Flemish Universities and Colleges Council, is the statutory umbrella body for higher education institutions in the Flemish Community of Belgium. It was established in compliance with the Flemish education decree of 20 December 2010 to act as the unified voice of universities, university colleges and associations. According to uniRank, VLUHR plays a vital role in the development and promotion of higher education in Flanders by ensuring system-wide coordination, advocating policy interests, guiding quality assurance and supporting international engagement.

History and Legal Framework

VLUHR was created on 20 December 2010 under the higher education decree of the Flemish Parliament, which mandated a single consultative and representational council for both university and university college sectors. It succeeded the separate bodies—the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR) and the Vlaamse Hogescholenraad (VLHORA)—by taking over jointly-delegated tasks while preserving their independent statutory visibility.

Although cooperative structures combining universities and university colleges existed as early as 2003, VLUHR in its current legal form was registered as a not-for-profit (vzw) in 2010. Its mandate, roles and responsibilities derive from binding legislation and subsequent Ministerial Decrees defining areas of external quality assurance, internationalisation and stakeholder liaison.

Mission, Vision and Objectives

VLUHR's mission is to strengthen the quality, accessibility and international competitiveness of Flemish higher education by performing three core functions:

• Policy and advocacy: offering expert advice to the Flemish Government and participating in sector-level policy processes;
• Quality culture: overseeing external programme reviews and quality systems through its semi‐autonomous unit VLUHR Kwaliteitszorg (VLUHR QA);
• Internationalisation: fostering coordinated engagement abroad and joint representation via VLUHR Internationalisering (VLUHR‑i).

The council promotes institutional autonomy while encouraging collaboration, interdisciplinary innovation and integration of applied and academic missions across its member network.

Governance, Structure and Independence

VLUHR is governed by:

• a Board of Governors (Raad van Bestuur) composed of representatives from VLIR (university sector), VLHORA (university college sector) and five sector associations;
• an General Assembly consisting of all Flemish university rectors, university college directors and association chairs;
  
• sectoral committees dedicated to its main missions: internationalisation, quality and development cooperation.

Its VLUHR Kwaliteitszorg arm operates under a separate Quality Assurance Board staffed with independent experts—strictly external to the Flemish institutions—and is supervised by a diverse Advisory Council of institutional, student and social partner representatives to ensure impartiality. Its governance structure and funding model guarantee operational, administrative and financial independence from government and member institutions.

Accreditation and Quality Evaluation Role in Higher Education

VLUHR QA is responsible for coordinating external assessments ('visitations') of study programmes at Flemish universities and university colleges. Established in 2013 through the merger of the previous QA units of VLIR and VLHORA, it conducts peer review audits aligned with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) for quality assurance. VLUHR QA is an official member of ENQA and is registered with EQAR.

While the formal awarding of accreditation remains under the remit of the NVAO (Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders), VLUHR QA prepares the external evaluations, facilitates institutional-level reviews introduced in 2015 and publishes independent visitation reports to support the accreditation dossier. It serves also as a centre of expertise, offering advisory services, thematic analyses and quality-enhancement tools to institutions.

International Cooperation and Network Memberships

VLUHR International (VLUHR‑i), launched in 2013 alongside the QA unit, drives the collective global engagement of Flemish higher education. Its portfolio includes:

• coordinated marketing under the "Study in Flanders" platform;
• development and management of mobility scholarships (e.g. Erasmus+, Master Mind, Foreign Traineeship Programs);
• development of strategic international partnerships and networks, including representation in European bodies such as EUA and involvement with Horizon Europe.

VLUHR as a whole regularly engages with national, European and global stakeholders (including UNESCO, OECD and EUA expert groups), representing Flemish higher education in a unified manner.

Current or Future Impact on Higher Education

VLUHR anchors several systemic trends shaping Flemish higher education:

• Policy coherence: serving as the unique interlocutor to the government, thus aligning university and university college voices in future funding, equity and sustainability policies;
• Quality maturation: advancing the shift from programme‑based to institutional‑based quality assurance, thus strengthening autonomous internal QA frameworks;
• International profile: further expanding coordinated international recruitment, mobility support and participation in joint curricula;
• Digitalisation and lifelong learning: coordinating policy responses across sectors to implement micro‑credentials, recognition frameworks and upskilling strategies.

Moreover, by centralising communication and data-led policy analysis, VLUHR contributes to more robust strategic decision‑making at sector and institutional levels, improving agility amid demographic or financial challenges.

Summary

In summary, VLUHR operates as the statutory backbone of Flemish higher education, combining the voices of universities and university colleges into a singular entity structured under Flemish legislation. Its chief responsibilities include quality assurance design and coordination through VLUHR QA, international representation and promotion through VLUHR‑i and unified policy advocacy toward the Flemish authorities. While it does not issue accreditation directly (that role remains with NVAO), its independent quality reviews underpin institution-level assurance. According to uniRank, VLUHR plays a pivotal role in steering the strategy, quality and international reputation of higher education in Flanders.

FAQs

• What is the Vlaamse Universiteiten en Hogescholen Raad?

  It is the Flemish Higher Education Council, established by law in December 2010 as the single body representing universities, university colleges and major associations in Flanders.

• Which institutions are members of VLUHR?

  It represents all five Flemish universities (through VLIR), sixteen university colleges (through VLHORA) and five recognised associations of higher education institutions.

• Does VLUHR grant accreditation?

  No. It organises and coordinates external quality reviews via VLUHR Kwaliteitszorg, but the formal accreditation decision is made by the independent agency NVAO.

• How is VLUHR governed?

  Its governance includes a Board of Governors with sector representatives, a General Assembly of rectors/directors and separate expert and advisory bodies for quality assurance and internationalisation to ensure operational autonomy.

• What purpose does VLUHR serve internationally?

  Through its internationalisation unit, it runs joint marketing campaigns, manages scholarship programs, supports mobility across Erasmus+ and other frameworks and represents Flanders in European education networks.

Organization Name

Flemish Universities and Colleges Council
Vlaamse Universiteiten en Hogescholen Raad

Acronym

VLUHR

Year of Establishment

2010

Control Type

Entity Type

Non-Profit

Geo Focus and Coverage

Local or Regional

Recognized by

n.a.

Affiliations or Memberships

n.a.

Number of Member Universities or Accredited Institutions

n.a.

Address

Ravensteingalerij 27 bus 3&6
Bruxelles
1000 Brussels Belgium

Phone

+32 (2) 792 5500

Fax

+32 (2) 211 4199

n.a.

Official Social Media Channels

Facebook

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X (Twitter)

Not available

LinkedIn

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YouTube

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Instagram

Not available

Wikipedia Article

Flemish Universities and Colleges Council's Wikipedia article

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