European ESG Alignment and QUAA Criteria
Understand how QUAA review practice relates to the European Standards and Guidelines for higher education quality assurance.
What ESG alignment means
The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015) comprise guidance for institutions, external quality-assurance processes and quality-assurance agencies. QUAA uses these as methodological reference points alongside its own published assessment framework.
Part 1: internal quality assurance
The mapping addresses policy for quality assurance, programme design and approval, student-centred learning and assessment, student admission and progression, teaching staff, learning resources and support, information management, public information, programme monitoring and cyclical external quality assurance.
Part 2: external review processes
QUAA scheme procedures consider the design of review methodologies, published criteria, credible peer-review composition, learner involvement where relevant, evidence-based reports, consistent decisions, complaints, appeals and periodic oversight.
Part 3: agency responsibilities
Agency-level governance considers purpose, organisational capacity, independent action and judgment, internal quality controls, public accountability and periodic independent external review. Publishing a map does not demonstrate completed external assessment of the agency.
Accurate attribution
An institution adopting QUAA criteria has not thereby received QUAA accreditation; QUAA reference to ESG does not mean QUAA is registered with EQAR, a member of ENQA or acting for European government. Official registration and recognition can be claimed only if independently evidenced.
Related guidance
QUAA criteria mapped to external references
This clause-level crosswalk is a navigation aid: it identifies the closest thematic relationship between each existing QUAA criterion, ESG 2015 Part 1 standards and UK Quality Code 2024 Principles. It does not assert equivalence, compliance, external approval or accreditation.
How to read the map. ESG Part 1 addresses internal quality assurance by higher-education providers. The separate ESG Parts 2 and 3 references below apply only to QUAA's proposed external-review and agency processes; those processes remain in development and have not been externally assessed. A dash means no direct, clause-level relationship is asserted for that criterion.
| ID | Existing criterion | ESG Part 1 | ESG Parts 2/3 context | UK Quality Code 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A01 | Published institutional identity, lawful operating scope and decision responsibilities | ESG 1.1.1, 1.8 | — | Principles 1, 6, 9 |
| A02 | Academic decision and delegated authority controls | ESG 1.1.1, 1.9 | ESG 3.1, 3.6 | Principles 1, 4, 5, 6 |
| A03 | Conflict and related-party disclosure with management actions | ESG 1.1.1 | ESG 3.3, 3.6 | Principles 1, 6 |
| A04 | Student and stakeholder participation in quality oversight | ESG 1.1.1, 1.3, 1.9 | — | Principles 2, 5, 10 |
| A05 | Periodic review of governance effectiveness | ESG 1.1.1, 1.9 | ESG 3.6, 3.7 | Principles 1, 4, 5 |
| B01 | Programme purpose and measurable intended learning outcomes | ESG 1.1.2 | — | Principles 7 |
| B02 | Curriculum alignment, levels, credits and workload logic | ESG 1.1.2 | — | Principles 7, 11 |
| B03 | Transparent awarding authority and qualification type | ESG 1.1.2, 1.4, 1.8 | ESG 2.1, 2.2 | Principles 7, 8, 9 |
| B04 | Fair admission criteria and meaningful progression routes | ESG 1.1.4 | — | Principles 9 |
| B05 | Documented approval, monitoring and periodic review | ESG 1.1.2, 1.9 | ESG 2.1, 2.5 | Principles 5, 7 |
| C01 | Learning design aligned with outcomes and student engagement | ESG 1.1.3 | — | Principles 2, 11 |
| C02 | Appropriate educator expertise and teaching responsibilities | ESG 1.1.5, 1.6 | — | Principles 3, 10, 11 |
| C03 | Reliable LMS availability, navigation and learning access | ESG 1.1.6 | — | Principles 3, 10, 11 |
| C04 | Student activity, support and feedback mechanisms | ESG 1.1.3, 1.6 | — | Principles 2, 10, 11 |
| C05 | Quality checks for recorded, hybrid and live learning | ESG 1.1.3, 1.6, 1.9 | ESG 2.5 | Principles 3, 5, 11 |
| D01 | Assessment methods demonstrate intended learning outcomes | ESG 1.1.3 | ESG 2.5 | Principles 11 |
| D02 | Consistent and fair moderation, grading and appeals | ESG 1.1.3, 1.9 | ESG 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 | Principles 5, 11, 12 |
| D03 | Integrity controls proportionate to assessment stakes | ESG 1.1.3 | ESG 2.5 | Principles 11 |
| D04 | Transparent and proportionate responsible AI assessment guidance | ESG 1.1.3 | ESG 2.5, 3.6 | Principles 1, 11 |
| D05 | Secure exam, records and decision controls | ESG 1.1.1, 1.7 | ESG 3.6 | Principles 1, 4 |
| E01 | Information is correct at application, enrolment and award stages | ESG 1.1.4, 1.8 | — | Principles 9, 10 |
| E02 | Accessible learning and appropriate adjustments | ESG 1.1.3, 1.6 | — | Principles 3, 10, 11 |
| E03 | Documented learner support and response standards | ESG 1.1.6 | — | Principles 10 |
| E04 | Transparent complaints and appeals, fair review rights | ESG 1.1.3, 1.9 | ESG 2.7 | Principles 12 |
| E05 | Meaningful learner feedback and improvement action | ESG 1.1.3, 1.9 | ESG 2.1, 2.6 | Principles 2, 4, 5 |
| F01 | Data collection and lawful processing basis documented | ESG 1.1.7, 1.8 | ESG 3.6 | Principles 1, 4, 9 |
| F02 | Access control and security safeguards appropriate to the platform | ESG 1.1.7 | ESG 3.1, 3.5, 3.6 | Principles 1, 3, 4 |
| F03 | Retention/deletion and disclosure controls | ESG 1.1.7, 1.8 | ESG 3.6 | Principles 4, 9 |
| F04 | Reliable data quality and metric definitions | ESG 1.1.7, 1.9 | ESG 2.5 | Principles 4, 5 |
| F05 | Responsible vendor/processor arrangements | ESG 1.1.7 | ESG 2.1, 3.5 | Principles 3, 8 |
| G01 | Research integrity and participant protection arrangements | ESG 1.1.1, 1.3 | — | Principles 1, 11 |
| G02 | Supervision, milestones and doctoral level requirements where relevant | ESG 1.1.2, 1.3 | — | Principles 7, 10, 11 |
| G03 | Originality, attribution, scholarly dissemination | ESG 1.1.3 | — | Principles 11 |
| G04 | Research data stewardship and responsible use | ESG 1.1.7 | ESG 3.6 | Principles 1, 4 |
| G05 | External review/quality monitoring proportionate to research scope | ESG 1.1.9, 1.10 | ESG 2.1, 2.6, 3.7 | Principles 5, 6 |
| H01 | Published quality framework, version control and accountable owners | ESG 1.1.1, 1.8, 1.9 | ESG 3.1, 3.6 | Principles 1, 5, 9 |
| H02 | Operational KPIs tied to evidence not invented numbers | ESG 1.1.7, 1.9 | ESG 2.5 | Principles 4, 5 |
| H03 | Corrective action tracking from finding to verified closure | ESG 1.1.9 | ESG 2.6, 3.6 | Principles 4, 5 |
| H04 | Public information about recognition, awards and third parties is verifiable | ESG 1.1.8, 1.10 | ESG 2.6, 3.1 | Principles 6, 9 |
| H05 | Changes to published information are traceable and timely | ESG 1.1.8, 1.9 | ESG 2.6, 3.1, 3.7 | Principles 4, 5 |
Agency-process references: ESG Part 2 standards 2.1–2.7 concern external review processes; Part 3 standards 3.1–3.7 concern agencies. The standards are external methodological references only. QAA UK, ENQA and EQAR are separate organizations; QUAA does not claim their status, membership or endorsement.
ISO 21001:2025 is cited only as an educational management-system reference. QUAA does not claim ISO certification, and this crosswalk does not certify any reviewed provider.