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Embargoed until 00.01 GMT Friday 20 May Applied Science University becomes first Bahraini university to achieve global quality accreditation

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Applied Science University (ASU) has become the first higher education institution in the Kingdom of Bahrain to achieve global quality accreditation through the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK’s independent quality body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education. 

ASU has obtained global accreditation having successfully completed QAA’s International Quality Review (IQR), a rigorous process which benchmarks global higher education institutions against international quality assurance standards set out in Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).  

The review took place between 24 and 26 January 2022, and was carried out by a team of three independent reviewers appointed by QAA. The review team confirmed that ASU meets all 10 of the internal quality assurance standards in the ESG. 

The review team also identified a number of features of good practice including: 

  • ASU’s partnership with Advance HE, to offer a fellowship scheme for academic staff, recognising excellence in teaching and learning and student support 

  • the embedding of management information into decision-making processes at all levels of the institution through the integration of databases and other sources of information into the University’s IT systems. 

Professor Ghassan Fouad Aouad, President of Applied Science University commented: 'We are delighted with this achievement as it bolsters the strong international reputation of the University. This is the result of a team effort of all the University’s stakeholders including the Board of Trustees and its Chairman, Professor Waheeb Al Khaja, senior administration, staff, students, alumni and external collaborators. ASU is the first university in the Kingdom of Bahrain to achieve the QAA’s global accreditation. We are grateful to the QAA, UK leadership and the review team for their professionalism, hard work, and their confidence in us.' 

Alastair Delaney, QAA’s Executive Director of Operations and Deputy Chief Executive and Chair of the IQR Accreditation Panel said: 'I would like to extend our warm congratulations to ASU on this commendable achievement. Through the International Quality Review process, the institution has demonstrated its compliance with international best practice in quality assurance, demonstrating its commitment to enhancing the quality of its students’ academic experience. This accreditation provides an opportunity for ASU to explore opportunities for collaboration with UK and international higher education institutions.' 

QAA’s institutional accreditation applies for five years, subject to a satisfactory mid-cycle review. ASU will be able to display QAA’s IQR Accreditation badge, demonstrating that their quality assurance processes are comparable with international best practice. ASU is also now eligible to become a QAA International Member. International Quality Review is carried out in QAA’s capacity supporting the development of higher education quality internationally, including activity to support QAA Members and collaboration with international partners. 

Ends 

Notes to editor: 

  1. For more information, contact Kevin McStravock, PR, Press and Communications Officer on k.mcstravock@qaa.ac.uk. 

  1. ASU was established as a private university in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2004 and currently offers 13 undergraduate and five postgraduate programmes across four colleges. Bahrain currently has 2,411 registered students and delivers some of its programmes in collaboration with UK universities, London South Bank University and Cardiff Metropolitan University. ASU’s campus is located in East Ekr. 

  1. The outcome of the ASU international quality review is available from 20 May 2022 at https://www.qaa.ac.uk//en/training-and-services/iqr/published-iqr-reports.  

  1. IQR has been specially developed to provide international institutions with an independent peer review, through which they are measured against the 10 standards for internal quality assurance of the ESG, the quality assurance framework adopted across 48 countries in the European Higher Education Area. The ESG are respected worldwide and have influenced the development of quality frameworks across Africa and the ASEAN region, and the development of a global language of quality assurance. You can find out more about International Quality Review and global accreditation at www.qaa.ac.uk/iqr. 

  1. The review team that reviewed ASU comprised Professor Jenny Bradshaw, Dr Nadeem Khan (international reviewer) and Ms Tess Winther (student reviewer). 

  1. International Quality Review is overseen by QAA’s IQR Accreditation Panel who consider recommendations made by QAA review teams in order to determine whether an institution should be awarded institutional accreditation. You can read more about the international experts who make up the Accreditation Panel here. 

  1. QAA is the independent quality body for UK higher education. It is a higher education charitable company, which is limited by guarantee and whose UK and international members are representative organisations of the higher education sector. More information on QAA’s work is available on www.qaa.ac.uk.   

  1. QAA is a founding member of the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), a full member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and has observatory status with the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN). 

  1. For further information on QAA’s International Membership, visit https://www.qaa.ac.uk/training-and-services/qaa-international-membership.