The Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA) has published on its official website the Regulation on Standards for the Evaluation of Doctoral (PhD) Programmes, as approved by the State Council of Quality (SCQ) during its meeting held on 30 June 2025. The regulation, now in force, will serve as the legal basis for all accreditation processes related to PhD programmes in the Republic of Kosovo.

This regulation is the result of an inclusive and consultative process with higher education institutions across the country, and is fully aligned with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

The regulation defines a total of 44 standards, of which 26 are core (mandatory) and 18 are additional, structured across seven key areas of evaluation:

1. Institutional structure, administrative support, and funding;
2. Admission and selection criteria;
3. Structure/content of the doctoral programme;
4. Research environment and capacity;
5. Supervision;
6. Assessment; and
7. Research outcomes.

Programmes that demonstrate full compliance with these standards may be accredited for up to five years, while those in substantial compliance may receive accreditation for up to three years. Programmes failing to meet the core mandatory standards will not be eligible for accreditation.

The regulation places particular emphasis on:

• High-quality supervision;
• Research integrity and scientific ethics;
• Academic mobility;
• Active participation in international research activities; and
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals indexed in WoS and/or Scopus.

Through this strategic document, the KAA aims to ensure a high level of quality and international alignment of doctoral studies in Kosovo, thereby contributing to the development of a knowledge-based and innovation-driven society.

Professor Melita Kovacevic chaired the expert team responsible for the review of the new standards.

The revision of these standards was supported by the SHER Programme, funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), co-funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, and implemented by the consortium of WUS Austria, ZSI, and OeAD.

To read the full Regulation, click here: Regulation on Standards for PhD Programmes