Statement on the Quality Assurance of the European University Alliances
1. Introduction
The European Universities Initiative (EUI) has become one of the most visible developments in the European Education Area (EEA), introducing new forms of transnational cooperation. As alliances increasingly move beyond project-based collaboration towards long-term educational structures, their credibility, legitimacy and long-term sustainability depend on their ability to uphold high quality standards in learning and teaching, governance and student experience.
For the European Students’ Union (ESU), the development of European University Alliances (EUAs) must be accompanied by robust quality assurance that places students at the centre and guarantees trust in the educational opportunities offered within alliances. The significant public and European funding invested in establishing and sustaining alliances creates a clear obligation for transparency, accountability and the safeguarding of higher education as a public responsibility.
ESU stresses that access to long-term public funding for European University Alliances, whether through European or national funding schemes, must be linked to robust external quality assurance. Alliances receiving such funding should be subject to external quality assurance assessment and accreditation carried out by agencies operating in full compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). Public trust in alliances can be ensured only through educational activities being evaluated under transparent and recognised quality assurance frameworks.
Recent evidence also shows that quality assurance within alliances remains unevenly developed. According to ENQA’s 2025 analysis of quality assurance developments in European University Alliances, 18% of alliances reported having no plan to develop alliance-level quality assurance procedures, demonstrating that systematic approaches to educational quality are still far from fully embedded. This raises concerns not only about coherence but also about student trust and the long-term sustainability of student centered education in the framework of alliances This also highlights the absence of a shared understanding of quality assurance responsibilities at alliance level.
A crucial distinction to be made is that the quality assurance of alliances concerns educational quality – not project administration. Project management procedures, reporting mechanisms or funding compliance tools cannot be considered substitutes for educational quality assurance.
ESU believes that quality assurance of European University Alliances should cover quality assurance of joint programmes and educational provision, quality assurance of alliance-level governance and decision-making structures related to education, and coordination between institutional quality assurance systems across partner institutions.
2. Quality assurance of the alliances
First and foremost, quality assurance within European University Alliances must remain fully aligned with the ESGs. Alliances must not develop parallel quality assurance systems that bypass or undermine existing national and European frameworks. For ESU, full ESG compliance is not a technical requirement but a political safeguard ensuring that the development of alliances strengthens rather than fragments the European quality assurance architecture.
Instead, alliance-level quality assurance should build upon institutional systems and facilitate their coordination, ensuring comparability, trust and recognition across partner institutions. Quality assurance within alliances must ensure, at a minimum, the coherence of learning outcomes, consistency of learning environments, parity of students’ rights, accessibility of support services, and the quality and accessibility of mobility pathways. Clear responsibilities for quality assurance at alliance level must be defined. The distribution of responsibilities between alliance structures and partner institutions must be transparent, avoiding fragmentation, overlaps or gaps in accountability.
3. Internal quality assurance of the alliances
Internal quality assurance (IQA) within European University Alliances must be systematically developed as a shared responsibility across partner institutions and, very importantly, designed in close collaboration with students. Given the multi-institutional and transnational nature of alliances, internal quality assurance cannot remain confined to institutional frameworks, but must include coordinated mechanisms operating at alliance level.
Alliance-level IQA must also guarantee the parity of students’ rights and responsibilities across partner institutions. Differences in national or institutional contexts must not result in unequal access to learning opportunities, support services or academic recognition. Particular attention must be given to the accessibility and quality of student support services, including academic advising, administrative guidance, psychological support, and inclusion measures.
The quality of student mobility within alliances must be an integral component of internal quality assurance. Mobility pathways should be accessible, well-structured and academically coherent, ensuring that students can move between institutions without facing unnecessary barriers or inconsistencies in their learning experience. When it comes to collecting data in this area, it is essential to systematically distinguish between mobility, BIPs and virtual exchange.
Effective IQA requires systematic and transparent data collection at alliance level. Students must be systematically involved not only as sources of feedback, but as active participants in the design, implementation and follow-up of internal quality assurance processes at alliance level. This includes regular and meaningful collection of student feedback on all aspects of the alliance’s educational provision and functioning. Feedback mechanisms must be accompanied by clear follow-up for integral feedback loops, ensuring that identified challenges lead to visible and measurable improvements, and that students are informed about the actions and changes implemented based on their feedback. Transparency of results and communication of follow-up actions are essential for maintaining accountability and trust.
4. External quality assurance of the alliances
External quality assurance (EQA) of European University Alliances must support transparency, accountability and the development of mutual trust across institutions and national systems. EQA must remain primarily accountability-based, ensuring that alliances meet clear, transparent and enforceable standards, while also supporting continuous enhancement of educational provision without compromising its evaluative function. Given the cross-border nature of alliances, cooperation between quality assurance agencies is essential to enable meaningful evaluation of joint educational provision and alliance-level structures. Students should also be systemically included as equal partners in evaluation procedures concerning alliance-level educational provision and governance structures.
External quality assurance processes must ensure that alliance-based education is assessed in line with the ESG. At the same time, participation in alliances must not lead to the weakening or bypassing of national quality assurance standards applicable to partner institutions. Alliances must not be used as mechanisms to bypass national accreditation systems or to create parallel structures that undermine established ones. Instead, EQA should facilitate coordination between national systems and support the recognition of qualifications across institutional and national boundaries.
The role of quality assurance agencies in the evaluation of alliances must be clearly defined and safeguarded. ESU raises concerns regarding the potential commodification of quality assurance, where alliances may seek evaluation based on cost, flexibility or perceived leniency rather than quality and independence. Quality assurance must not become a market-driven process in which institutions select the most convenient evaluator. Safeguards must be in place to ensure that external evaluations are conducted by independent, ESG-compliant agencies, guaranteeing credibility and public trust.
At the same time, EQA processes must avoid unnecessary duplication and excessive administrative burden or costs. Evaluation approaches should be proportionate and coordinated, particularly in the context of joint provision, while maintaining robust standards and ensuring that quality assurance remains meaningful rather than procedural.
5. Student participation in quality assurance within alliances
Student participation in quality assurance within European University Alliances must be a cornerstone of all alliance-level educational development. As alliances increasingly shape joint learning environments, mobility pathways and new educational structures, students must not be treated as occasional consultees but as equal partners in designing, monitoring and evaluating quality.
At present, student participation within alliances remains limited and highly inconsistent. For ESU, meaningful quality assurance cannot exist without democratic student participation. Students are the primary stakeholders directly experiencing alliance-based education across institutions, and their perspectives are essential for identifying challenges related to learning conditions, recognition, mobility, support services and educational coherence. Quality assurance processes within alliances must therefore systematically involve students at all stages: from co-creation and design of internal quality mechanisms, to monitoring, evaluation and follow-up of improvements.
Students must be represented in alliance-level governance structures, including bodies responsible for educational coordination, curriculum development and quality assurance decision-making. Their participation must go beyond symbolic presence and include full rights to contribute to discussions, formulate positions and influence outcomes on equal terms with other members of governance structures, while ensuring balanced student representation across partner institutions.
In order for participation to be meaningful, students must also receive the necessary conditions to exercise their role effectively. This includes access to relevant information, sufficient preparation time, appropriate training in quality assurance processes and educational policy, adequate compensation for their time, workload and responsibilities including in internal and external quality assurance bodies as well as financial and organisational support enabling continuity of representation across alliance structures. Student participation within alliances must also be formally recognised, including, but not limited to, through academic recognition or other mechanisms.
6. Quality assurance of joint programmes
European University Alliances are expected to become key actors in the development of joint programmes. As these forms move from pilot initiatives towards more systemic implementation, ensuring their quality becomes a fundamental prerequisite for their credibility, sustainability and recognition within the European Higher Education Area.
The European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes provides a key framework for evaluating joint provision and should be consistently applied within alliances. Its implementation is crucial for avoiding fragmentation and ensuring that joint programmes are assessed through coherent and transparent procedures recognised across participating countries.
Quality assurance of joint programmes within alliances must prioritise coherence and comparability. Learning outcomes, curricula, and assessment methods must be aligned across partner institutions to ensure that students achieve equivalent academic standards regardless of where elements of the programme are delivered. Joint programmes must offer a seamless learning experience, rather than a collection of loosely connected institutional components.
At the same time, quality assurance processes must avoid unnecessary duplication and administrative complexity. Students and institutions should not be subject to multiple overlapping accreditation procedures for the same programme. Streamlined and coordinated approaches to evaluation are essential for enabling the sustainable development of joint programmes.
Persistent barriers in national legislation and accreditation systems continue to hinder the full implementation and recognition of joint programmes. ESU, calls for stronger coordination at European level to address these challenges, while ensuring that efforts to simplify procedures do not compromise quality transparency or student rights.
7. Conclusions
The quality assurance of European University Alliances must continue to develop alongside the alliances themselves. As alliances move from project-based cooperation towards more permanent educational structures, quality assurance frameworks must evolve in ways that match this growing complexity while preserving trust, transparency and academic credibility across the EHEA.