UK colleges of further and higher education

Private institutions in the UK offering year-round programmes at the level of further and higher education should apply for our standard 'college' accreditation. Accreditation is granted for a period of four years after a successful inspection and decision by the Accreditation Committee. The college will for this time find themelves part of a network of quality independent educational institutions, eligible to join Study UK (the BAC-accredited colleges association) and the Education UK Partnership, subject to certain criteria, and authorised by the UK Border Agency to recruit international students onto courses of up to six months.

New applicants for accreditation will follow a three-stage process, which allows both for a thorough assessment of applicant colleges prior to full accreditation and for an initial period in which new colleges may address any outstanding requirements by BAC while proceeding with the international recruitment needed to grow their business.

Click here for details of the three-stage process.

Gaining accreditation is not the end of the process. BAC has a duty to monitor that the standards observed during the inspection are at least maintained, and improved wherever possible. There are several ways in which this is done on a regular basis, including the submission of an annual return, an interim inspection by a BAC inspector, and the judicious use of unannounced spotcheck inspections to the institution. Furthermore, any complaints made by students of the college are investigated rigorously, primarily with a view to mediating between the parties, although fair treatment of student complaints is an important condition of accreditation.

Colleges who wish to remain in accreditation are required to undergo reinspection before the end of the period of accreditation. If the Accreditation Committee agrees that the standards of provision are being upheld, reaccreditation will be awarded for a further four years.

Click here for details on maintaining accreditation.

BAC also offers a number of specialist accreditation schemes:

Accreditation as a Short Course Provider
for providers of full or part-time courses of up to six months
Accreditation as an Independent Higher Education Institution
for colleges of higher education with one or more university partners