German Accreditation Council

The German Accreditation Council (GAC)(Akkreditierungsrat) is an independent body responsible for the accreditation of quality assurance agencies and programs in the German higher education system. The tasks of the foundation were laid down in a Interstate Treaty on the organization of a joint accreditation system to ensure the quality of teaching and learning at German higher education institutions, as agreed by the 16 states in 2017. As a major innovation, the Accreditation Council, as the central decision-making body of the foundation, was given the task of deciding on the accreditation of study program (program accreditation) and the accreditation of quality management systems (system accreditation) on the basis of experts’ reports. The implementation of so-called alternative procedures with which new ways in quality development are tested also requires the approval of the Accreditation Council.

The responsibility for accreditation decisions was therefore recently transferred to the GAC, while the assessment procedures in program and system accreditation remain in the hands of several accreditation agencies authorized for this purpose by the Accreditation Council. 

NOTE: During this time of transition, Accreditation.org is listing degrees accredited under the prior system which have not expired by the accrediting body at the time of our last annual update.  New programs accredited by GAC will be added as available during our annual refresh.  In this transition phase, if you need to clarify the validity of a program accreditation, please check with GAC and the original accrediting body, as well as the university in question.