Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior A3ES

Overview

Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior (A3ESor Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education) is Portugal’s independent national agency responsible for quality assurance in higher education. It evaluates and accredits higher education institutions and their study programmes, fosters internal quality assurance systems and ensures Portugal’s alignment with the European Higher Education Area.

According to uniRank, A3ES plays a crucial role in maintaining academic standards in Portugal by establishing rigorous evaluation criteria and supporting institutional and programme development, thereby contributing to graduate competence, international recognition and national socioeconomic advancement.

1. Historical and Legal Framework

Established by the Portuguese Government via Decreto‑Lei nº 369/2007 (5 November 2007) under the framework of Lei nº 38/2007 (16 August 2007, amended by Lei nº 94/2019), A3ES was founded as a private law foundation with public‐utility status and unlimited duration. It was charged with implementing the national quality assurance regime for higher education. Over time, legislation such as Decreto‑Lei nº 133/2019 and amendments to degrees regulations have expanded its mandate to distance learning programmes and institutional audit.

2. Mission, Vision and Objectives

Mission: To guarantee the quality of higher education in Portugal by objectively evaluating and accrediting institutions and their study cycles and by performing the functions necessary for Portugal’s integration into the European quality assurance system.

Key Objectives:

• Assess compliance of institutions and study cycles with minimum statutory and academic standards;
• Translate assessment results into qualitative evaluations and define consequences (e.g. re‑accreditation, conditions, termination);
• Promote continuous improvement and a culture of internal quality assurance (IQA) within universities and polytechnics;
• Publish results transparently to inform society, students, employers and regulators;
• Support internationalisation of quality processes and policy advisement.

The agency also conducts independent research and provides advisory opinions to government bodies regarding quality assurance in higher education.

3. Governance, Structure and Independence

A3ES is governed by a legally defined structure under public law, composed of:

• A **Board of Curators** (Conselho de Curadores), appointed by the Council of Ministers, which oversees fiduciary matters, approves strategic plans and appoints the Management Board;
• A **Management Board** (Conselho de Administração), including a President (Coordenador‑Executivo) and other executive and non‑executive members (up to seven), responsible for policy, accreditation decisions and regulatory documents;
• A **Scientific Council**, composed of academic and professional experts, which proposes research directions, peer evaluation standards and thematic assessments;
• A network of external **peer‑reviewers** (including academic, student and professional evaluators), selected per programme assessment.

The legal framework guarantees operational independence; A3ES is self‑funded (largely through fees charged to institutions), with no direct government funding beyond its initial endowment and final decisions are made by the Management Board without ministerial interference.

4. Accreditation and Quality Evaluation Role in Higher Education

A3ES executes two complementary processes:

1. Institutional Assessment: conducted in multi‑year cycles (first cycle began in 2016, second completed by 2022), inclusive of institutional IQA audits, strategic review, governance, student engagement and academic results;
2. Programme Accreditation: mandatory ex ante accreditation of new study programmes and ex post evaluation of operating programmes (covering BA, master’s, doctoral levels) on a six‑year cycle, using procedures such as ACEF (Acreditação de Ciclos de Estudos em Funcionamento), PERA (Pedido Especial de Renovação de Acreditação) and institutional accreditation simplification “via verde” if quality benchmarks are met;

The accreditation process includes institution self‑evaluation files, visits by external expert panels, site visits and public disclosure of results. Non‑aligned or foreign programmes may be subject to simplified or recognition procedures under Lisbon Convention provisions.

A3ES has authority to enforce consequences (e.g. withdrawal of approval) when programmes fail to meet quality criteria, as demonstrated in its first cycle (2011–16), during which approximately 25 % of programmes were required to close for non‑compliance.

5. International Cooperation and Network Memberships

A3ES is fully integrated into the global quality assurance community, with memberships including:

• European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA);
• European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR);
• Ibero‑American Quality Assurance System (SIACES);
• World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), recognising its agency for medical programme accreditation.

The agency participates in international projects (such as Erasmus+ initiatives like REMOTE and QA‑DOC), joint programme evaluation under the European Approach and networks including EQANIE, ECA and CHEA’s International Quality Group. It also signs Memorandums of Understanding with professional orders (e.g. engineering association) to coordinate accreditation processes.

6. Current or Future Impact on Higher Education

Building on lessons from its first two assessment cycles, A3ES continues to evolve its operational model and policy guidance. In 2025 the agency opened a public consultation process for its Strategic Plan (2025–2028), emphasising flexibilisation, digital quality tools, stakeholder participation and international benchmarking.

Expected future impacts include:

• Stronger institutional ownership of quality assurance and advanced IQA frameworks;
• Streamlined accreditation processes (e.g. risk‑based procedures and “exemption” for high‑performing institutions);
• Greater inclusion of student evaluators and social impact indicators; and
• Increased trust in Portuguese qualifications abroad, particularly for joint and online programmes.

7. Summary

The A3ES operates as Portugal’s sole quality assurance and accreditation authority, endowed with full institutional independence and legal stature. Founded on the basis of EU and Bologna Process frameworks, it ensures that Portuguese higher education institutions and study programmes meet national and European standards. Through cycle‑based institutional and programme evaluations, open reporting and policy research, A3ES consolidates academic quality, promotes accountability and supports education reform. Its international memberships further legitimize Portugal’s academic credentials across borders.

8. FAQs

• What is A3ES?
  A3ES is Portugal’s independent national agency responsible for evaluating and accrediting higher education institutions and their degree programmes, ensuring quality and compliance with legal and European requirements.
• Is accreditation mandatory?
  Yes. All public and private institutions must receive prior accreditation for proposed programmes before launch and periodic re‑accreditation (typically every six years) if programmes are already in operation.
• Does A3ES accredit programmes, institutionsor both?
  Both. A3ES carries out separate accreditation processes for individual study programmes and conducts institutional assessments that consider governance, strategic planning and internal QA systems.
• How often does A3ES evaluate institutions?
  Institutional assessments are conducted in cycles of approximately six years; the first was from 2016, the second concluded around 2022, with a third cycle underway according to the 2025–28 strategic plan.
• How is A3ES funded?
  A3ES is funded primarily through fees charged to higher education institutions for accreditation and evaluation services. It receives no general state operating budget beyond an initial endowment.
• To which international networks does A3ES belong?
  A3ES is a full member of ENQA, registered in EQAR, a part of SIACES and recognised by WFME. It collaborates with Erasmus+, joint‑programmes networks and international QA consortia.
• Does A3ES evaluate online and foreign programmes?
  Yes. A3ES has procedures for distance or blended learning programmes and may recognise foreign accreditation outputs where aligned with European standards. It has applied the European Approach for joint degrees.
• How transparent are A3ES decisions?
  All accreditation and evaluation outcomes are publicly available via the A3ES results portal. Conditions, durations of recognition and expert panel reports are also disclosed to ensure societal accountability.

Organization Name

Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior
Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education

Acronym

A3ES

Year of Establishment

6/11/2007

Control Type

Public

Entity Type

Non-Profit

Geo Focus and Coverage

National

Recognized by

n.a.

Affiliations or Memberships

European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA); CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG)

Number of Member Universities or Accredited Institutions

n.a.

Address

Praça de Alvalade, 6 - 5.º Frente
Lisbon
1700-036 Lisbon Metropolitan Area Portugal

Phone

+351 (213) 511 690

Fax

+351 (213) 511 691

n.a.

Official Social Media Channels

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LinkedIn

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YouTube

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Instagram

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Wikipedia Article

Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior's Wikipedia article

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