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Foundation and Agencies | Accreditation of study programmes

The following laws, statutes and resolutions are forming the legal basis for the German accreditation system and its actors:

The Accreditation Foundation Law (ASG) is forming the legal framework for the German accreditation system. This law bindingly lays down the purpose, rights and obligations of all central actors in the accreditation system.
File  Law establishing the Foundation "Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Courses in Germany" of 15 February 2005 as amended on 01.04.2008

According to the Accreditation Foundation Law the Foundation has drawn up statutes specifying further details of the Foundation and its organs.
File  Statues of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany of 23.06.2006 as amended on 10.02.2012

The rules of procedure of the Accreditation Council and the Foundation Council each determine the organisation and functioning of the respective organ in detail.
File  Rules of Procedure of the Accreditation Council of 24.02.2006 as amended on 21.06.2010
File  Rules of Procedure of the Foundation Council of 23.06.2006

On their cooperation the Foundation and the agencies conclude agreements. The agreements set out the reciprocal rights and duties of the partners in the accreditation system.
File  Model agreement between the Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany and the agencies of 15.02.2005 as amended on 28.06.2012

For the accreditation of agencies and the monitoring of accreditations undertaken by the agencies the Foundation may levy fees in order to cover its administrative expenditures. The circumstances on which the fee is based, the rates and the time when it falls due are determined in detail in the fee statutes.
File  Statutes of the Foundation on levying administrative fees of 29.11.2007 as amended on 06.11.2014 (in German only)

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By means of accreditation the German federal states (so-called Länder) i.a. comply with their national responsibility in higher education to ensure the equivalence of corresponding study and examination results as well as qualifications and the possibility of transfer between institutions of higher education.

The obligation to accredit Bachelor's- and Master's study programmes is formally laid down in the Common structural guidelines of the Länder. It is the Foundation's task to ensure binding application of the common structural guidelines of the Länder in the accreditation.
File  Common structural guidelines of the Länder for the accreditation of Bachelor’s and Master’s study courses, Resolution of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany of 10.10.2003 as amended on 04.02.2010

The establishment and accreditation of study programs are based upon federal state law. Therin regulations regarding the obligation of accreditation and the relation between accreditation and state approval vary.
File  Synopsis: Relation between accreditation and state approval of study programmes according to federal state law, state 17.06.2011 (in German only)

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