APQN

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APQN was created in 2003 with the support of the World Bank and UNESCO in response to the needs of quality assurance agencies in the field of higher education located in a region that is home to more than half of the world's population. APQN operates as a regional network of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).

APQN mission statement:

‘To enhance the quality of higher education in Asia and the Pacific region through strengthening the work of quality assurance agencies and extending the cooperation between them.’

APQN purposes:

to promote the dissemination of good practice to maintain and improve the quality of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region;
to promote research activities in the field of quality management of higher education and its effective use in order to improve the quality of higher education in the region;
to provide information and assistance to new agencies to ensure the quality of education in the region
to promote cooperation between agencies to ensure the quality of education, as well as the mutual recognition of judgments and estimates;
to assist members of APQN in determining the standards of institutions activities within national systems;
to promote international recognition of qualifications in the region;
to assist in the development and use of credit transfers schemes, to facilitate the mobility of students both within and beyond national borders;
to inform APQN members about dubious accrediting organizations;
to represent the region and promote its interests, for example, regarding other networks and international organizations.

APQN membership:

APQN has four levels of membership: Full Member, Intermediate Member, Associate Member and Institutional Member. Certain criteria need to be met at each level of membership. APQN also accepts Observers. Only full members and intermediate members are eligible to participate in the governing bodies of the association. Associates and institutional members may participate in the Annual General Meeting and other meetings of the General Council but they do not have voting rights.

At present times, the APQN network consists of 149 organizations: 34 full members, 19 agencies with interim status, 10 associate members and 86 organizations have the status of institutional members of the network. Four organizations are observers: UK, Germany, Kuwait, Thailand.