The National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education (NAB) is an independent body established by Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education Institutions, as amended. It operates in the field of quality assurance of education, which has a long tradition in the Czech Republic. Since 1990, the Accreditation Commission has performed similar functions in the area of accreditation and evaluation of higher education institutions.
Based on the amendment to the Higher Education Act implemented by Act No. 52/2025 Coll., NAB’s jurisdiction was expanded to include tertiary professional education, and it was transformed into a legal entity established under public law, effective July 1, 2025.
NAB’s jurisdiction thus covers both higher education institutions and tertiary professional schools.
NAB’s primary mission is to ensure the quality of tertiary education in the Czech Republic through accreditation, external evaluation of educational and creative activities, and inspection of compliance with legal regulations in accredited activities.
NAB’s activities are based on the principles of independence, objectivity, and transparency. NAB operates in accordance with the Higher Education Act, the Education Act, the Administrative Procedure Code, and the Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). The criteria applied in accreditation procedures correspond to European principles for quality assurance.
Within its scope of authority, NAB decides on institutional accreditations, accreditations of study programs, accreditations of fields of study for habilitation proceedings and proceedings for the appointment of professors at higher education institutions, and accreditations of educational programs for tertiary professional schools. NAB also conducts external evaluations of the educational, creative, and related activities of higher education institutions and the educational activities of tertiary professional schools, publishes the results of these evaluations, and inspects compliance with legal regulations.
NAB also issues opinions to the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports regarding the granting of state approval for private higher education institutions and the granting of permits for foreign higher education institutions to operate in the Czech Republic.
Part of NAB’s activities involves providing methodological support to the institutions in the development of internal quality assurance systems for educational and creative activities. In this way, NAB contributes to the development of the quality of education and to the alignment of procedures with international standards and current trends in education.
NAB is headquartered in Prague.
Scope of NAB's operations:
- Accreditation of study programs of higher education institutions
NAB performs assessment and decides on applications for the accreditation of new and existing study programs of higher education institutions and verifies their compliance with the requirements set forth by law. - Institutional Accreditation
NAB decides on applications for institutional accreditation in specific fields of education, which allows higher education institutions to independently decide on the accreditation of study programs in that field. - Accreditation of Fields for Habilitation and Professorship Proceedings
NAB performs assessment and decides on applications from higher education institutions for the accreditation of fields for habilitation and professorship proceedings. - Accreditation of educational programs of tertiary professional schools
NAB conducts assessment and decides on applications for the granting, extension, or modification of accreditation for educational programs of tertiary professional schools in accordance with legal regulations. - External Evaluation
NAB conducts external evaluations of the educational, scientific, research, development, innovation, artistic, and other creative activities of higher education institutions and related activities and external evaluations of the educational activities of higher vocational schools and publishes the results of these evaluations. - Inspection Activities
NAB conducts inspections of compliance with legal regulations in the implementation of accredited activities at higher education institutions and tertiary professional schools. - Methodological Guidance
NAB provides methodological guidance to institutions in the area of quality assurance.
NAB’s Bodies:
- NAB Board
The Board is a collective body whose members are appointed by the government. The Board decides on accreditations within administrative proceedings and issues reports on external evaluations. It also issues opinions within administrative proceedings conducted by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. - NAB Appeals Committee
The Appeals Committee decides on appeals against the Board’s decisions in administrative proceedings in cases specified by law. The members of the Appeals Committee are appointed by the government from among individuals with a university degree in law. - Accreditation Committee for Tertiary Professional Education
The Accreditation Committee for Tertiary Professional Education is a specialized advisory body that engages in the assessment of applications for the accreditation of educational programs at tertiary professional schools. It prepares supporting materials and opinions for the NAB Board’s decision-making on matters of tertiary professional education. Its composition, scope of authority, and activities are governed by legal regulations and the NAB’s internal regulations. - Evaluation Committees and Pool of Evaluators
Evaluation committees are advisory bodies to the Board. They perform peer review in administrative proceedings regarding accreditation, external evaluation, and proceedings conducted by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. Members of the evaluation committees are selected from experts enrolled in the Pool of Evaluators. The establishment, composition, and activities of the committees are governed by NAB’s internal regulations. - NAB Office
The NAB Office provides administrative, organizational, and specialized support for NAB’s activities. The staff contribute to the preparation of materials for the Board’s decision-making, coordinate the activities of NAB’s advisory bodies, and facilitate communication with institutions and the public.