Accreditations and recognitions

Importance of accreditations

High-quality education

Accreditations demonstrate that the university provides high-quality education and continuously strives to improve. This gives students the assurance that their programme meets national quality standards and that their degree will be recognised both nationally and internationally. 

Recognition abroad

Accreditations raise the profile of Maastricht University in other countries. This can be important for graduates, as it means that their degree is also recognised internationally.

What exactly is accreditation?

Accreditations are official recognitions that indicate that an organization and programme meets certain pre-established quality standards. It is a form of independent quality control by a recognised accreditation body.

An organisation is thoroughly assessed on aspects such as:

  • Expertise of employees
  • Reliability and accuracy of processes
  • Consistency and quality of services
  • Compliance with international or national standards 

If everything meets the requirements, the organisation receives an accreditation certificate. This is regularly reassessed to ensure that quality is maintained.

Students sitting on brick wall
NVAO logo

The Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO)

All bachelor's and master's programmes at Maastricht University have been approved by the NVAO (the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation). This organisation determines whether higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders is of good quality by checking the learning objectives, the learning environment, the method of assessment and the final level of the programmes.

CeQuInt logo

Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation (CeQuInt)

Maastricht University has a number of important and prestigious quality marks, including the Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation (CeQuInt). This means that internationalisation is an integral part of the education and programmes, ensuring that they are of a very high international standard.

FPN Collage UM networks

UM's global networks

At Maastricht University, we highly value international partnerships and collaborations. They bring together different perspectives, expertise, and insights, adding value to our education and research. UM has different partnerships across the world:

  • Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE)
  • Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN)
  • Worldwide Universities Network (WUN)
  • European Association for International Education (EAIE)

Keuzegids Universiteiten

The Keuzegids is compiled annually by an independent editorial team as a guide for prospective students. The Keuzegids rankings are compiled based on the assessments given by students in the National Student Survey about their bachelor's programmes. 

The following programmes have been labeled as 'top rated programmes':

  • Circular Engineering
  • Maastricht Science Programme
  • University College Maastricht

Keuzegids Masters

Keuzegids Masters is an independent Dutch guide that evaluates and compares accredited master’s programmes at universities and universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, based largely on results from the National Student Survey (NSE).