Accreditation is the formal recognition of a programme based on a decision of an independent quality assurance agency, the Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatieorganisatie (NVAO), which verifies whether it meets the pre-determined minimal quality requirements. Accreditation is only one part of the quality assurance system in Flemish higher education. This quality assurance system consists of three parts: an internal part, an external part and the part where the formal decision is taken. More information on accreditation and the common accreditation body for higher education programmes in Flanders and the Netherlands can be found on http://www.nvao.nl.

The Register of Higher Education contains all detailed information on accredited bachelor and master’s programmes offered in Flanders. If the programme has not been accredited, the programme will be deleted from the Register of Higher Education and the institution will not be able to grant a recognised degree (http://www.highereducation.be).