Recent Development in Higher Education Accreditation in Germany

The paper explains the current legal situation and recent developments on the field of higher education accreditation in Germany. It informs about the significant verdict of the German Federal Constitutional Court from the year 2016, where the unconstitutionality of the current program accreditation system in Germany was stated. Thus, the legislator in Germany was requested to create a new legal basis for the higher education accreditation which was done with effect from this year. The author discusses what can be learned from the argumentation of the German Constitutional Court for the future use of quality assurance measures in higher education. The aim is to avoid mistakes while developing quality assurance for the university sector at the example of the program accreditation discussion in Germany.

Keywords: Study program accreditation, legal situation in Germany, Academic Freedom, Constitutional Court’s decision, and future of higher education accreditation.