Current legislation dictates that accreditation renewal applications for official qualifications must be submitted within six years in the case of bachelor’s degrees and doctoral degrees, and within four years for master’s degrees from the date the degree programme is first verified by the Directorate General for Universities, or from the date of its last official accreditation renewal.

Accreditation renewal is an ex-post assessment that is guided by the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). Criteria 2.3 of said standards and guidelines specifies an external assessment shall be performed that includes an onsite-visit at the centre delivering the qualification.

To this effect, qualifications must receive a favourable accreditation report, in accordance with Royal Decree 1393/2007, dated 29 October on the Organisation & Planning of Official University Teaching, modified by Royal Decree 861/2010, dated 2 July. A successful renewal of accreditation allows a qualification to continue to be registered in the Spanish Registry of Universities, Educational Centres and Qualifications (RUCT), which centralises information on the entire Spanish University System.

In the accreditation renewal process, which is organised by ACCUEE for universities in the Canary Islands, the Agency applies the ACREDITA assessment procedure created by ANECA.

Note: The ACCUEE is currently working on updating the protocols in compliance with Royal Decree 822/2021, of 28 September, and in accordance with the agreements adopted in this respect by the Spanish Network of University Quality Agencies (REACU).