Revised European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) adopted at the EHEA Ministerial Conference

The revised version of the “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area“, commonly known as ESG  has been adopted at the EHEA Ministerial Conference held in Yerevan (Armenia) the 14th and 15th of May together with the Fourth Bologna Policy Forum.

This revised version was proposed by the E4 Group (ENQA, ESU, EUA and EURASHE) in cooperation with EI, BUSINESSEUROPE and EQAR, following the mandate given in the Bucharest Communiqué by the ministers, and endorsed by the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) in September 2014. The revision included several consultation rounds involving both the key stakeholder organisations and ministries. The many comments, proposals and recommendations received have been very useful and of extremely importance for the revision process. They are reflected in the resulting revised version.

As requested by Ministers, the revised version make the ESG clearer, particularly in terms of their structure and in order to avoid potential confusion with their interpretation. The revised ESG also make a more explicit link to the learning and teaching process in the section on internal QA, and defines the relationship of QA with other Bologna Process developments that have taken place since 2005 (including those relating to Qualifications Frameworks and learning outcomes).

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*Information relevant for QA agencies: The European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) has developed a Policy on Transition to the Revised ESG [October 2014]. This policy concerns the transition to the revised version of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) as regards registration and renewal of registration of quality assurance agencies.