THE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL OF JAMAICA THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS
To be eligible to submit programmes for accreditation, institutions must first seek registration by the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ), the national External Quality Assurance Agency. The aim of registration is to certify that an institution meets certain minimum operating standards required for the conduct of a tertiary institution in Jamaica. Registration is the first step in the accreditation process. Registration, therefore, is a pre-accreditation status. The criteria for registration are closely related to the criteria for accreditation since they are meant to provide registered institutions with a foundation for logical development towards accreditation.
Preliminary Meeting
The UCJ schedules a preliminary meeting with the Institution to discuss the quality assurance framework, the requirements of the documentation and the registration process.
Application for Registration
1. The Institution submits the Application for Registration.
Processing of Documents by the UCJ
2. The UCJ reviews documents submitted by the Institution to determine eligibility for Registration visit.
Team Selection & Training
3. The UCJ selects an evaluation team for the Registration visit.
Site Visit
4. Evaluation team interviews relevant stakeholders of the Institution and evaluates the institution’s facilities and resources.
Evaluation Report and Institutional Response
5. The evaluation team’s report on the visit is sent to the President/Principal of the Institution.
6. Institution submits a written response to the UCJ to address the recommendations in the report.
Registration Decision
7. The evaluation team report and the Institution’s response are reviewed by the UCJ’s decision making bodies (Accreditation, and Development Committee and the Council of the UCJ).
8. The Institution is informed of the Council’s decision in writing.
ACCREDITATION
Accreditation is the status granted to a programme that has been found, through self-study and peer review, to meet or exceed established standards for educational quality. Once registered, an institution has a maximum of four years to submit programme(s) for accreditation. This process promotes the improvement of educational quality through self-evaluation, self-regulation and accountability. Accreditation is therefore the seal of quality. The role of the accrediting body is to ensure quality through encouraging the improvement of educational standards.
Application for Accreditation
9. The Institution submits a completed application for accreditation to the UCJ.
Processing of Documents
10. The UCJ reviews the
application to determine
eligibility for an accreditation visit.
Team Selection and Training
11. The UCJ selects an
evaluation team for the
accreditation visit.
Site Visit
12. The evaluation team
interviews relevant stakeholders of the Institution including students, graduates and employers of graduates and evaluates the Institution’s facilities and resources.
Evaluation Report and Institutional Response
13. The evaluation team report on the visit is sent to the President/Principal of the Institution.
14. The Institution submits a written response to the UCJ to address the recommendations in the report.
The Accreditation Decision
15. The evaluation team report and the Institution’s response are reviewed by the UCJ’s decision making bodies (Accreditation, and Development Committee, and the Council of the UCJ).
16. The Institution is informed of Council’s decision.