Share30 years of AQU Catalunya: A benchmark in higher education quality beyond our borders
Throughout 2026, the Agency is publishing a monthly series of news articles looking back on its three decades of history from different perspectives. The June edition highlights AQU Catalunya's presence in the international arena.
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Over the past three decades, AQU Catalunya has established a strong and sustained international presence, positioning itself as one of the leading quality assurance agencies in higher education. Since its inception, the Agency has pursued its mission with a clear international outlook, actively contributing to the development of shared policies, standards and practices across the European Higher Education Area and beyond. This international engagement has been instrumental in establishing AQU Catalunya as a trusted, rigorous and widely recognised institution in the world's leading quality assurance forums.
AQU Catalunya's commitment to the international dimension has been reflected in significant milestones that have shaped the Agency's development. These include its partnerships with international networks such as the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and its role as a founding member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), two of the sector's leading organisations. AQU Catalunya was also one of the first agencies to be listed on the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), after successfully undergoing a demanding external review based on European standards, further strengthening international confidence in the quality and reliability of its evaluations. Today, Esther Huertas, Head of the Quality Assessment Department, serves on the EQAR Register Committee.
In addition, AQU Catalunya has been recognised by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). It was the first agency in Spain and the fifth in Europe to obtain this recognition. As a result, medical schools accredited under these standards benefit from worldwide recognition. Over its 30-year history, the Agency has also served on ENQA's Agency Review Committee (2021–2025) and Appeals and Complaints Committee (2020–2025).
International cooperation and joint projects
Beyond its participation in these international organisations, AQU Catalunya actively collaborates with institutions and agencies from different countries on joint evaluation and accreditation projects. Since the Agency was established, it has undertaken 33 such collaborations, including the application of international methodologies such as the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes and the publication of results in European databases, thereby increasing the reach and visibility of its work. In 2025, AQU Catalunya ranked as the third European agency with the highest number of European Approach evaluations completed, with a total of 11.
The Agency also provides services and takes part in initiatives with universities and organisations both in Spain and in other European countries, as well as in other regions of the world, strengthening its role as a strategic partner in higher education quality assurance. Notable examples include the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education Programme (SCOPE-HE), DIGI-REQA (Digital Tools and Quality Assurance for Automatic Recognition), QADoc – Capacitation pour l'Évaluation et Assurance Qualité des Formations Doctorales et de la Recherche, and the REMOTE project. More information is available here.
Contributing to quality in Catalonia and beyond
The Agency conducts international evaluation processes designed to ensure the quality of institutions and programmes operating in a variety of geographical contexts, while promoting academic mobility and cooperation between higher education systems. These processes are based on European and international standards and may lead to specific accreditations recognising the academic rigour and reliability of the institutions concerned. At the same time, AQU Catalunya also evaluates institutions delivering foreign qualifications, ensuring that they comply with quality criteria aligned with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), thereby safeguarding the academic value of qualifications and ensuring a reliable educational offer for students.
Institutional leadership and global reach
One of the most significant milestones in this journey has been the selection of Barcelona as the permanent host of the INQAAHE Secretariat, an international recognition that further strengthens AQU Catalunya's leadership within the global higher education quality assurance community. This leadership is also reflected in the Agency's ability to drive innovative initiatives and generate knowledge that serves as a benchmark for other higher education systems.
At a time when higher education is undergoing constant transformation—driven by digitalisation, the internationalisation of education and the emergence of new learning models—the Agency continues to strengthen its participation in international networks, expand its collaborations and contribute to the development of a more transparent, comparable and continuously improving global higher education system.