About the Hungarian Accreditation Committee

The Hungarian Accreditation Committee was established with the country's first higher education law in 1993. It is, according to the 2005 Higher Education Act, “an independent national body of experts assessing quality in education, research and artistic activities in higher education, and examining the operation of the institutional quality development scheme.”

The HAC conducts ex ante and ex post accreditation of both programs and institutions.  Ex ante accreditation of programs comprises the national-level institution and outcome requirements, which appear on the website of the Ministry of Education and Culture, and new programs to be launched at institutions. Ex post accreditation is conducted in five-year cycles. There are separate procedures for institutional and program accreditation. The latter is conducted for entire disciplines, with all programs taught in Hungary in that discipline undergoing a single procedure with external evaluators from a common pool.

With the 2005 Higher Education Act, bachelor and master programmes replaced the traditional, single stream college or university programmes. The majority of new bachelor programs began in 2006 and master programs in 2009. All of them have undergone the accreditation process.

The new Higher Education Act, passed by Parliament 29 November 2005, lists seventy  higher education institutions operating in Hungary to date. (http://www.okm.gov.hu/main.php?folderID=1126&articleID=4265&ctag=articlelist&iid=1).
In order to receive state recognition and to issue degrees, all higher education institutions, including private ones, must undergo accreditation. Denominational higher education institutions receive state financing similar to state institutions and are accredited but the HAC’s mandate pertains only to secular programmes. Foreign higher education institutions are not required to get accreditation but receive license to operate from the Education Authority of the Ministry of Culture and Education if they are legally recognized and/or accredited in their home country.

The former distinction between universities, providing research-based and -oriented education, and colleges, offering applied training, has diminished with the introduction of the bachelor/master system, although only universities may provide doctoral education. An ECTS compatible credit system was introduced at all institutions by law in September 2003. The Diploma Supplement is issued to graduated students in both Hungarian and English.

The HAC has 19 full members, delegated by higher education institutions, research institutes and professional organisations. They receive their letters of appointment from the Prime Minister. Membership includes one student delegated by the National Union of Students. There are eight standing disciplinary committees of experts, chaired by  HAC members.. The HAC’s bodies extend to an independent Board of Appeals, a Financial Supervisory Board, an International and a Hungarian Advisory Board.

The Secretariat has a staff of twenty, including the Secretary General, his deputy, and a Financial Director, eleven programme officers, six administrative staff and an IT technician. The programme officers are assigned expert committees whose work they prepare and guide from inception to completion of the report. In addition they are responsible for several institutions, prepare and participate in site-visits and assist in writing the accreditation report.

In compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines, the HAC was evaluated by an external team of experts in 2008/09 and consequently has renewed its membership in ENQA, the European Association of Quality Assurance for another five-year term (see Internal Quality).

(March 2010)

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