Accreditation

Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks (such as certification, inspection and testing).

Accreditation bodies are established in many economies with the primary purpose of ensuring that conformity assessment bodies are subject to oversight by an authoritative body. Accreditation bodies that have been peer-evaluated as competent sign regional and international arrangements to demonstrate their competence. These accreditation bodies then assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies to the relevant standards.

An authoritative body that performs accreditation is called an 'accreditation body'. Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI) and the International Forum for Accreditation (IFA) provide international recognitions to accreditation bodies. Global ACI was formed on 1 January 2026 through the merger of the former International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) into a single, unified global body. There are many internationally recognized accreditation bodies approved through the multilateral recognition arrangements maintained by Global ACI and IFA.

The Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) is the largest accreditation body in the Middle East, whereas in South Asia the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), Quality Council of India (QCI) are the largest. In East Asia, the China National Accreditation Board is the largest, while the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the largest in Europe. The National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) and the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) being the largest in the Oceania region, with the South African National Accreditation System being the largest in Africa.

For most of the accreditation schemes, international standards issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are used.

Accreditation can evaluate the learning and job outcomes or result in a sheepskin effect. In some cases accreditation can create a cartel.

Fields involved

Accreditation processes are used in a wide variety of fields:

Accreditation standards

Many accreditation bodies, such as the UKAS, EIAC, EGAC, PNAC, IAS, NABCB operate according to processes developed by the ISO as specified in ISO/IEC 17011. Accredited entities in specific sectors must provide evidence to the accreditation body that they conform to other standards in the same series:

See also

International agencies
National agencies

References

  1. ↑ "About ILAC". Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Celebrating the launch of Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated". UKAS. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 10 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 "About the International Forum for Accreditation". if-a.org. Retrieved 10 October 2026.
  4. ↑ Volkwein, J. Fredericks; Lattuca, Lisa R.; Harper, Betty J.; Domingo, Robert J. (2007). "Measuring the Impact of Professional Accreditation on Student Experiences and Learning Outcomes". Research in Higher Education. 48 (2): 251–282. doi:10.1007/s11162-006-9039-y. ISSN 0361-0365. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
  5. ↑ Van Iddekinge, Chad H.; Arnold, John D.; Krivacek, Sara J.; Frieder, Rachel E.; Roth, Philip L. (2024). "Making the grade? A meta-analysis of academic performance as a predictor of work performance and turnover". Journal of Applied Psychology. 109 (12): 1972–1993. doi:10.1037/apl0001212. ISSN 1939-1854. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  6. ↑ Neugebauer, Martin; Heisig, Jan Paul; Bol, Thijs (2026). "What does successful university graduation signal to employers? A factorial survey experiment on sheepskin effects". European Sociological Review. 42 (2): 165–182. doi:10.1093/esr/jcaf028. hdl:10419/320728. ISSN 0266-7215. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
  7. ↑ ""Scholarly Restraints?" by George B. Shepherd and William G. Shepherd". LARC @ Cardozo Law. 2025. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
  8. ↑ "ISO/IEC 17011:2017 Conformity assessment — Requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies". International Organization for Standardization. 2017.