National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an autonomous institution established by the University Grants Commission (UGC), under Section 12-ccc of the UGC Act of 1956, for assessing and accrediting higher education institutions (HEIs) of the country. It is registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act of 1960, Karnataka Societies Registration Rules of 1961 and is headquartered at Bangalore.
Assessment is the performance evaluation of an institution or its units based on certain established criteria.
Accreditation is the certification of quality for a fixed period, which in the case of NAAC is five years
Presently, NAAC is undertaking the evaluation of the overall functioning of the institution, which comprises of the governance structure and all its academic units i.e., Schools, Departments and Centres, based on identified criteria. This is referred to as institutional accreditation.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) through a gazette notification dated 19th January 2013, has made it mandatory for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to undergo accreditation by 2022.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) which have a record of at least two batches of students graduated or been in existence for six years, whichever is earlier, are eligible to apply for the process of Assessment and Accreditation (A&A) of NAAC. For more specific details the website may be referred to.
When an institution undergoes the accreditation process for the first time it is referred to as cycle 1 and the consecutive five year periods as cycle 2, 3, etc. The process in each cycle is similar except that from cycle 2, the frame of reference includes the impact of the last assessment and the consequential quality improvement as reflected in the AQARs submitted over the 4year post accreditation period.
1. Online submission of Institutional Information for Quality Assessment (IIQA) and Self-Study Report (SSR). 2. Data Validation and Verification (DVV) by NAAC. 3. Student Satisfaction Survey (SSS) by NAAC. 4. Peer Team Visit. 5. Institutional Grading.
IIQA is a process which ascertains whether an institution is “accreditation ready" or not. Eligible HEIs seeking A&A are required to submit Institutional Information for Quality Assessment (IIQA) online. NAAC will communicate to the HEI’s about the acceptance/rejection within 10 days from the date of receipt of IIQA application
The purpose of the IIQA process is: To ascertain the eligibility of the institution for comprehensive assessment and accreditation by NAAC. To ensure that the applicant institutions fulfils statutory requirements of agencies which govern it.
Yes, the IIQA process is mandatory for all institutions those who are going for NAAC Accreditation.
The IIQA applications are accepted round the year.
In case of rejection of IIQA application, HEIs may resubmit IIQA application; the IIQA fee submitted is applicable for a maximum of three attempts including the initial submission. For institutions whose IIQA is rejected they may make a second attempt with the same fee.
The eligibility conditions are as follows:
The fee structure for accreditation comprises of the following components viz. IIQA fee, Accreditation fee and Logistic expenses. For details of the payment schedule may be refer to NAAC website.
The Self-Study Report is in an online format. It has the following sections.
The NAAC has identified seven criteria which encompass the functioning of an institution. These criteria are disaggregated into Key Indicators (KIs) and further sub- divided into Qualitative and Quantitative Metrics.
After filling up the SSR, it should be submitted on the NAAC portal. The HEI will receive an auto generated link/ID of SSR in their registered email id. The same SSR in PDF format should be then uploaded on the college/university website.
NAAC checks the Self-Study Report through an online assessment mechanism/process. The Quantitative metrics in the SSR will be subjected to Data Validation and Verification. If institution clears the Pre-qualifier score, of 25% the Student Satisfaction Survey will be administered and the Peer Team Visit conducted. If there are any discrepancies/factual errors then a Deviation Report is sent to the institution seeking further clarifications. The institution should edit the information and respond to NAAC within 7 days. Subsequently NAAC will re-check the submitted data and depending on the extent of deviation will inform the institution of any of the following:
After the Data Validation and Verification process, the NAAC will send online questionnaires to randomly selected students. The students will have to complete the survey and submit the same to NAAC online. The results of the Student Satisfaction Survey (SSS) will form a component of the overall grading of the institutions.
The duration of the peer team visit will depend on the size and complexity of the unit of assessment. It may vary from 2 to 3 days for colleges and 2 to 4 days for Universities.
The institution will be informed of the Overall Grade, CGPA and Suggestions for Quality enhancement of the institution.
Some of the possible penalties which the Executive Committee of NAAC may levy upon an institution, depending on the severity of fraudulent data are as follows:
The institutional score will be the cumulation of the scores on the Quantitative Metrics, Qualitative Metrics and Student Satisfaction Survey.
The ‘grade’ given to an institution is the outcome of the assessment process. It is not an absolute measure of quality and only a relative indication for the institutions to know where they stand in a quality continuum.
Yes. Once the final decision is given, the institution may make public the report on its accredited status. The public disclosure should reflect the spirit of the entire report and the outcome should not be distorted in any communication/documentation.
Yes. NAAC will make a public disclosure of the grade through its website. The information will also on request be made available to the Government, UGC and any other agencies.
The accreditation given by NAAC is usually valid for a period of five years from the date of approval by the Executive Committee (EC) of NAAC. Institutions which have secured the highest grade consecutively in the previous two cycles of accreditation and continue to do so in the 3rd cycle will be eligible for extension of validity from 5 years to 7 years.
Institutions, which would like to make an improvement in the accredited status, may volunteer for re-assessment, after a minimum of one year or before three years of accreditation. The current procedures and methodology including the manual for the Assessment and Accreditation is applicable for all institutions applying for re- assessment. However, the institution shall make specific responses based on the recommendations made by the peer team in the previous assessment and accreditation report, as well as the specific quality improvements made by the institution in the intervening period. The fee structure and other procedures would be the same as that for initial Assessment and Accreditation with the exception that the Institutions that volunteer for re-assessment will not be eligible for fee waiver and reimbursement of accreditation expenses.
The grades are awarded by NAAC based on the recommendations of the Peer Team Report with reference to a given grading pattern prevalent at the time of assessment. It is not proper to convert a grade under one pattern of measurement to another.
NAAC has a large database of experts, who are reputed academics, senior educational administrators and researchers. These experts undergo a Assessors Orientation Programme prior to being inducted as Peer Team Members.
An aggrieved institution may make a written representation to the Director NAAC and pay the stipulated fee within thirty days from the date of receipt of the accreditation certificate. The matter will then be referred to the Appeals Committee.
NAAC has a dedicated Help desk/ Support option available on HEIs Portal to provide responses on any technical or academic difficulties which an institution may encounter.
ANNUAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REPORT( AQAR) is a yearly report, which should be submitted to NAAC every year by all Accredited Institutions as per the format prescribed.
The latest AQAR format is available at NAAC website as well as Institute can see AQAR Format on registered portal under “Manage AQAR” tab.
TRACK ID is the process ID created by the institution on submission of IIQA to NAAC. This Track ID concept has been implemented in NAAC from the year 2012
All the HEI’s accredited by NAAC should submit AQAR report to NAAC every year. The AQAR period would be the Academic Year. AQAR would be helpful to know the improvements of the institution after the accreditation.
AQAR is a useful document which gives overall picture of the institutional growth in all the seven criteria’s identified by NAAC. It also provides systematic data with respect to various improvements to be taken up by the institution.
AQAR submission is mandatory for all Accredited Institutions. It is one of the Eligible criteria for Reaccreditation. If the institution has not submitted earlier AQAR, it needs to submit before filling up the IIQA or at least before submission of RAR report to NAAC. From January 1, 2019 onwards only online AQAR will be accepted. Institutions are requested to look into NAAC portal. AQAR submission is must for Accredited HEIs. During the institutional visit the NAAC peer teams will interact with the IQACs to know the progress, functioning as well quality sustenance initiatives undertaken.
NAAC has given opportunity to educational institutes for submission of pending AQARs by 31 Oct. 2020.
If the institution does not submitted earlier AQARs to NAAC. Institution need to submit all previous AQARs in online in new format on HEI Portal.
From 1st January 2019 onwards, all institutions should submit the AQARs in revised format on HEI NAAC portal only. Even if you have sent email copy, it is necessary to send the AQARs through portal. (Please use HEI portal support/helpdesk section for more clarity and communication with NAAC)
The submission of the AQAR by email has been will be closed on 31st December 2018 (in old format). The HEI’s are requested to submit the AQAR online through application available at NAAC web portal. The following steps to be followed.
Yes, it is always suggested to keep the final copy for institutional future reference.
Yes, it is always suggested to upload the final copy on institutional website along with required documents.