The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) is preparing to submit its self-assessment report to the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). This marks the beginning of ENQA's external review of UKÄ in 2025 to assess whether UKÄ continues to comply with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) and remains eligible for ENQA membership.

The review will also serve as a basis for UKÄ's application for continued registration on the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR). Prior to the review, the terms, content, and timeline of the process were agreed upon by ENQA, EQAR, and UKÄ. Once decided by Director General Martin Norsell, UKÄ's self-assessment report will be submitted to ENQA by 28 February.

UKÄ has been a member of ENQA since 2020, and membership requires an external review every five years. The review is based on the quality assurance standards outlined in the ESG 2015. Alongside Swedish higher education legislation, the ESG form the basis for UKÄ's review of higher education institutions in Sweden, and it is critical that UKÄ itself adheres to and fulfils these standards. This entails conducting reviews and evaluations independently and free from undue third-party influence, while ensuring they are both controlling and developmental.

The self-assessment process has provided an opportunity for UKÄ to reflect on its operations and enhance its internal quality assurance efforts. Internally, this has involved focusing on organisational development and engaging working groups within UKÄ to reflect on how the agency meets ESG requirements, as well as the recently revised national quality assurance framework.

The self-assessment process has also highlighted stakeholder perceptions of UKÄ. In 2024, UKÄ conducted a stakeholder survey to gather input on how stakeholders view the agency and their involvement in shaping and implementing UKÄ’s quality assurance and other activities. The findings from this survey have made an important contribution to the self-assessment report.

Since 2021, UKÄ has also been registered on EQAR, the official register of quality assurance agencies that operate in compliance with the ESG. Alongside its application for renewed ENQA membership, UKÄ will also apply for continued EQAR registration.

In summary, the self-assessment process has prompted UKÄ to reflect on and improve its activities under the ESG. Maintaining ENQA membership is crucial for ensuring trust in the national quality assurance framework and, by extension, in Swedish higher education internationally.

Once UKÄ's self-assessment report has been submitted, ENQA will appoint a review panel to assess UKÄ's compliance with the ESG. In May, the panel will conduct a site visit to UKÄ, where they will interview UKÄ management and key staff, stakeholder representatives, including higher education institutions and students’ unions, UKÄ peer review assessors, and representatives from the Ministry of Education and Research.