The National Policy on Education (NPE, 1986) and the Programme of Action (PoA, 1992) spelt out strategic plans for the policies, advocated the establishment of an independent National accreditation agency. Consequently, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established in 1994 as an autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission (UGC) with its Head Quarter in Bengaluru. The mandate of NAAC as reflected in its vision statement is in making quality assurance an integral part of the functioning of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The NAAC functions through its General Council (GC) and Executive Committee (EC) comprising educational administrators, policy makers and senior academicians from a cross-section of Indian higher education system.

Eligibility Criteria

• Colleges must be affiliated to a University recognised by UGC for the purposes of affiliation. Constituent colleges of Private or Deemed-to-be Universities are considered as part of the University and not independently for A&A.
• Colleges not affiliated to a University must be recognized by Statutory Professional Regulatory Councils and AIU or other government agencies as equivalent to a University degree programme.

Benefits of Accreditation

• Identification of internal areas of planning and resource allocation.
• Funding agencies look for objective data for performance funding.
• Institutions to initiate innovative and modern methods of pedagogy.
• The society looks for reliable information on quality education offered.
• Employers look for reliable information on the quality of education offered to prospective recruits.
• Institution to know its strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities through an informed review process.