Institutional Review

Every university and university college will undergo the institutional review procedure for the third time during the period 2026-2031.

Hasselt University’s institutional review will take place in the 2027-2028 academic year. In September 2027, we will submit our application, including the Critical Reflection. The site visits will follow a few months later: the exploratory site visit will take place in November-December 2027, and the in-depth site visit in March 2028. We expect to receive the assessment report in May-June 2028.

Ghent University and KU Leuven will also undergo their institutional reviews in 2027-2028. The reviews for Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the University of Antwerp are scheduled for this academic year (2026-2027).

Universities and university colleges may also submit a joint application dossier. In that case, they undergo a joint institutional review, resulting in a single assessment report and a single decision. This applies to Hasselt University and transnational University Limburg (tUL).

What does the institutional review cover?

The institutional review centres on the following interrelated questions:

• Does the institution’s educational policy align with its educational philosophy and the societal challenges it faces?
• Does the institution ensure that its educational policy works towards achieving its predefined goals?
• Does this policy assure the quality of each accredited programme in an internationally accepted manner?
• Does the institution demonstrate a quality culture at all levels?

At Hasselt University, this means that the following topics will feature in the review:

• The Institutional Strategy Plan 2025–2029;
• Our vision of quality and quality culture and how we put it into practice;
• Our VISIO cycle, which forms part of this approach and represents the control we exert over the quality assurance of our programmes. VISIO is a Dutch acronym for Vision – Innovation – Strategy – Peer consultation for Educational Development.

The review will also focus on the distinctive character of our university. Examples include our civic mission and vision, our unique educational model, the Hasselt University community, our future-oriented competency framework and student participation.

The Flemish quality assurance system centres on peer review conducted in an internationally accepted manner. An assessment panel of independent experts therefore carries out the assessment.

The panel combines the areas of expertise that NVAO considers necessary for an authoritative assessment. For an institutional review, these include at least:

• Educational expertise
• Assessment expertise
• Familiarity with policy and evaluation processes gained through a leadership role in an organisation outside higher education
• Governance expertise
• International expertise
• Student-related expertise.

The panel also has a thorough knowledge of Flemish higher education.

The external experts must also be independent. To this end, NVAO panel members sign a code of deontology, which clearly lists the conflicts of interest and other circumstances that preclude participation in a panel.

We involve as many students and staff engaged in the quality of education as possible in the institutional review and its preparations.

We gather input for the Critical Reflection through an online survey, and the Education Council plays an active role in the reflection and writing process.

During the dialogues with the assessment panel, various discussion partners also contribute. Based on the programme, we propose discussion partners as an institution, but the panel makes the final selection. Across the discussions, the panel must hear from the following groups:

• The institution’s board;
• Senior staff responsible for education;
• Quality assurance experts and other relevant staff;
• Teaching staff from representative bodies;
• Students nominated by the Student Council;
• Representatives of the professional field.

At the start of the first site visit, panel members and the institution’s discussion partners also have the opportunity to get to know one another during an informal meet-and-greet. This encourages dialogue and helps the panel gain an understanding of the institution’s informal quality culture.

In addition to the selected discussion partners, all other internal stakeholders of the institution have the opportunity to enter into dialogue with the panel. All Hasselt University students and staff will receive a link to a digital form managed by NVAO no later than four weeks before the in-depth site visit. In this form, they may explain which topics they wish to discuss with the panel and why. The panel decides whether a topic is relevant to its research and whether to invite the stakeholder concerned for a discussion.

Finally, once we receive NVAO’s assessment report and decision, we will share the outcome with staff and students as soon as possible.

What are the consequences of the institutional review?

The institutional review leads to one of three decisions:

• A positive institutional review decision;
• A positive institutional review decision with a limited validity period;
• A negative institutional review decision.

A positive decision, with or without recommendations for the institution, will further enhance the institution’s reputation among current and prospective students, partners and stakeholders. This decision is valid for six years.

A positive institutional review decision with a limited validity period sets out conditions specifying what the institution must achieve to retain a positive institutional review decision after the limited validity period expires. This period lasts no more than three years, with the exact duration determined in consultation with the institution.

Following a negative decision, each programme will once again undergo an individual assessment. This also applies if an institution fails to meet the conditions imposed following a positive decision with a limited validity period.

Together, we are working towards a positive outcome!

What was the outcome of the previous institutional review?

Hasselt University will undergo its third institutional review in 2027-2028. In the previous round, during the 2021-2022 academic year, the assessment panel reached a positive judgement on quality assurance at Hasselt University and the Hasselt/Diepenbeek university campus of transnational University Limburg (tUL).

The panel made the following recommendations:

• Consider the most appropriate governance structure in good time as the institution grows;
• Make the university’s civic profile and activities clearly visible to the outside world;
• Maintain a balance between close involvement and objectivity in the vision committees, and reflect this in their appointment procedures, terms of reference and working methods.

The positive decision and the full assessment report are available on the NVAO website.