Our mission is to advance sustainable quality excellence in private higher education by establishing globally recognised internal quality assurance standards, highlighting the unique value of private institutions, and serving the diverse needs of learners and society worldwide.

Please refer to the corresponding section for full details on application eligibility. Should you remain uncertain, kindly reach out to our official support team for assistance.

Full Members can:

• Apply for IQA accreditation;

• Vote at the IAPUC General Assembly (one vote per institution);

• Serve on the Board of Directors and professional committees;

• Access member-exclusive training, seminars, publications, and research reports;

• Participate in IAPUC professional networks and forums;

• Receive discounted rates for accreditation-related activities.

Full Members cannot use the IQA Accreditation Mark until they have successfully completed the accreditation process.

The upgrade is automatic. Once a Full Member successfully obtains IQA accreditation (at any level: Provisional, Accredited, or Fully Accredited), its membership status is automatically upgraded to Accredited Member. No separate application is required.

Fees vary by membership category and institutional size (for Full and Accredited Members based on Full-Time Equivalent enrolment). Please refer to the table below (all amounts in USD):

Please note that Accredited Member fees are separate from IQA Accreditation Annual Fees. A complete fee schedule is published in the IAPUC Membership Eligibility and Admission Standards.

No. Associate Members are not eligible to apply for IQA accreditation. If your institution later obtains degree-awarding authority, you may apply for reclassification to Full Member and then apply for accreditation.

The Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) system is IAPUC’s proprietary accreditation framework. It is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary quality assurance system designed specifically for private higher education institutions. The IQA system is built on three pillars: Mission-Driven, Outcomes-Based, and Performance Excellence.

The IQA accreditation system has three progressive levels:

• Provisional Accreditation (1 years): The institution meets basic quality requirements but has identifiable areas for improvement.

• Accredited (3 years): The institution meets most standards and demonstrates good quality management, with limited areas for enhancement.

• Fully Accredited (5 years): The institution demonstrates excellence across all standards with a mature and effective quality assurance system and a strong culture of continuous improvement.

Each level requires the institution to complete a self-evaluation, undergo peer review, and participate in a site visit. Institutions may apply for an upgrade to the next level once they have addressed the areas for improvement identified during the previous review.

The IQA framework evaluates institutional quality across eight interconnected domains:

1. Mission, Strategy & Governance

2. Curriculum & Teaching

3. Faculty

4. Student Learning Assessment

5. Research & Innovation

6. Resources & Support Systems

7. Social Responsibility & Impact

8. Continuous Improvement

Each domain has specific standards and evidence requirements. A detailed Academic Quality Standards Manual is available to all members.

The process has six stages:

1. Application & Eligibility Review: Submit application and undergo initial screening (4–6 weeks).

2. Self-Evaluation & Report Submission: Conduct a comprehensive self-study against the eight standards and prepare a Self-Evaluation Report (SER) (6–12 months).

3. Desk Review (Initial Review): A Peer Review Team (PRT) reviews the SER and identifies areas for further investigation (4–8 weeks).

4. Site Visit: The PRT conducts an on-site visit to verify evidence, interview stakeholders, and inspect facilities (typically 3–5 days; a maximum of three site visits is permitted).

5. Peer Review Report: The PRT prepares a formal report with findings and a recommended accreditation level (4–6 weeks).

6. Accreditation Decision: The independent Accreditation Decision Committee (ADC) makes the final accreditation decision based on the SER, PRT report, and the institution’s response (4–8 weeks).

The entire initial accreditation process typically takes 12–18 months.

Only IAPUC Full Members are eligible to apply for IQA accreditation. The institution must also:

• Have obtained Full Member status before submitting the accreditation application;

• Have completed at least one full academic cycle;

• Hold valid degree-awarding authority;

• Accept the IQA accreditation standards, process, and rules.

• Annual Quality Reports must be submitted each year.

• A Mid-Term Review is conducted in the middle of the accreditation cycle (Year 3 for Fully Accredited, Year 2 for Accredited).

• A Full Re-Evaluation is required before the accreditation term expires. The standard cycle is five years for Fully Accredited, three years for Accredited, and one years for Provisional Accreditation.

IQA accreditation involves three types of fees:

A complete fee schedule is published in the IQA Fee Implementation Rules.

Independence and fairness are guaranteed through multiple mechanisms:

• The Accreditation Decision Committee (ADC) operates independently from the IAPUC Board of Directors.

• ADC members cannot serve on the Peer Review Team for the same case.

• Strict conflict-of-interest rules apply to all peer reviewers and decision-makers.

• Accreditation decisions are based on the cross-verification of three independent sets of evidence: the institution’s Self-Evaluation Report, the Peer Review Report, and the institution’s response.

• An independent Appeals and Arbitration Committee is available for institutions that wish to challenge a decision.

Yes. An institution may file a formal appeal with the Appeals and Arbitration Committee within 30 working days of receiving the accreditation decision. Appeals may be based on procedural violations, material factual errors in the peer review report, or undisclosed conflicts of interest. The appeal process is detailed in the IQA Accreditation Appeals, Complaints, and Dispute Resolution Management Measures.

We believes that eliminating academic misconduct requires a proactive, institution-wide commitment to integrity rather than relying solely on detection and punishment. Our preventive framework, embedded in the IQA accreditation standards and the Academic Ethics and Integrity Code, is built on four pillars:

1. Establish a strong ethical governance structure.
Every institution must have an independent ethics committee, clear academic integrity policies, and mandatory ethics training for all students and faculty from induction onward.

2. Embed integrity into the curriculum.
Research ethics, proper citation practices, and responsible use of AI tools are integrated into coursework, not treated as an afterthought. Students learn what constitutes misconduct and why it matters.

3. Create a culture of transparency and accountability.
Institutions must implement robust conflict-of-interest disclosure, whistleblower protection, and fair, confidential investigation procedures. When individuals trust the system, they are more likely to report concerns early.

4. Ensure assessment design discourages dishonesty.
IAPUC encourages authentic assessment methods—such as project-based work, oral defences, and portfolios—that make misconduct harder to commit and easier to detect, while simultaneously strengthening genuine learning.

These measures are not optional extras; they are integral to the IQA accreditation standards (Standard I: Mission, Strategy & Governance, and Standard VII: Social Responsibility & Impact). By building a comprehensive prevention ecosystem, institutions not only protect the value of their qualifications but also foster a genuine culture of integrity that benefits students, faculty, and society.

The accreditation application fee is generally non‑refundable once submitted. However, the policy distinguishes between the eligibility review stage and the self‑evaluation stage:

• If you withdraw during the initial eligibility review stage, the application fee will not be refunded, but it can be retained and credited toward a new application submitted within 12 months.

• If you withdraw after the eligibility review has been completed and the self‑evaluation stage has begun, the application fee is non‑refundable and cannot be credited forward.

If the accreditation process cannot proceed due to reasons attributable to IAPUC (for example, if IAPUC is unable to constitute a peer review team or cancels the process), the application fee will be refunded in full.

These rules are set out in the IQA Accreditation Application, Accreditation, Annual, and Site Visit Fee Implementation Rules.

No. Annual membership dues, once paid, are non‑refundable. If a member resigns or has its membership terminated during the year, the dues already paid for that year will not be refunded or prorated.

The only circumstance in which a refund of membership fees may arise is if the institution withdraws after paying the application fee but before the first‑year dues are paid and membership formally takes effect. In that situation, the application fee is generally not refundable, but the institution would not yet have paid the annual dues.

The relevant provisions can be found in the IAPUC Membership Eligibility and Admission Standards and the IQA Internal Financial Regulations.