Before deciding to apply for self-accrediting authority (SAA), TEQSA strongly encourages providers to familiarise themselves with the relevant criteria in the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 and TEQSA Act.
TEQSA provides detailed contextual overview of each domain in Part A of the Threshold Standards, including resources and guidance on academic governance, monitoring, review and improvement and the use of independent expert advice as part of a provider’s internal quality assurance processes, that may assist providers when assessing their preparedness for submitting an application for SAA.
When assessing an application for SAA, TEQSA will consider the provider’s regulatory history beyond the final outcomes of our regulatory assessments. For instance, TEQSA will consider observations, recommendations identifying concerns or areas for improvement that directly relate to the effectiveness of the provider’s academic governance and quality assurance mechanisms. As such, providers should carefully consider the nature of any conditions (currently imposed on its registration or on its courses of study) or voluntary undertakings in effect, any past findings and observations made by TEQSA, and the nature of any active compliance processes being undertaken by TEQSA or another regulatory agency or professional accreditation body.
Before deciding to apply for SAA, TEQSA encourages providers conduct a self-evaluation to determine whether it is able to demonstrate that it meets the Part B2 criteria, specifically:
- a track record of course accreditations and reaccreditations as contemplated by Standards 5.1 and 5.3 of the Threshold Standards
- evidence of at least one cycle of review and improvement for the courses that SAA is being sought
- evidence of demonstrating successful implementation of evidence-based improvements.
How to apply for self-accrediting authority (SAA)