ESG – Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area
Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) form the basis for internal and external quality assurance in higher education. They were adopted at the Ministerial Conference within the Bologna Process in 2015.
ESG are the result of the cooperation of the E4 Group (EUA, EURASHE, ESU and ENQA) and other relevant organizations (Education International, Business Europe), and their implementation is a key obligation of countries in the Bologna Process. ESG standards help to strengthen trust, mobility and recognition between higher education systems.
ESG are the result of the cooperation of the E4 Group (EUA, EURASHE, ESU and ENQA) and other relevant organizations (Education International, Business Europe), and their implementation is a key obligation of countries in the Bologna Process. ESG standards help to strengthen trust, mobility and recognition between higher education systems.
ESG Structure 2015
ESG consists of three parts:
Part 1: Internal quality assurance
Part 2: External quality assurance
Part 3: Quality Assurance Agencies
Standards describe agreed and accepted practice, while guidelines provide guidance on how to apply them in different higher education contexts. ESG standards and guidelines apply to all higher education institutions, regardless of the place or method of study implementation.
More information on the application of ESG can be downloaded from the official document:
ESG Audit 2024–2027
At the Tirana Ministerial Conference in May 2024, the ESG revision process was launched, with the aim of the final text of ESG 2027 being adopted at the Bologna Group meeting in autumn 2026 and officially adopted at the Ministerial Conference in Romania/Moldova in spring 2027.
The ESG review is managed by the Steering Committee, which consists of representatives of the seven primary and contributing authors. The process includes extensive consultation with all key stakeholders, and builds on the results of the QA-FIT project.
You can download more information about the ESG review process in this note.