FINEEC's self-assessment report for the ENQA targeted review 2026

Institutional quality audit compliance

The planning of the fourth FINEEC audit framework was preceded by systematic feedback collection from audited HEIs and audit teams in the third cycle. FINEEC has an established annual internal process for analysing and discussing feedback from audit teams and audited HEIs and agreeing on follow‑up actions. The feedback process ensures that stakeholder feedback is considered in the continuous improvement of the audit process. With the new framework in mind, the reflection in 2023 and 2024 focused on identifying what should be kept or changed in the third‑cycle framework and gathering ideas for the next cycle. 

In addition, FINEEC carried out an extensive thematic analysis of the third cycle by reviewing all audit reports and evaluation areas to identify common strengths and improvement areas in Finnish HEIs (see Harri & al., 2025). This work deepened FINEEC’s understanding of necessary improvements, such as challenges related to the assessment scale as well as the broad scope of the framework and ensured continuity and learning between audit cycles. 

The planning process was designed to be open, participatory and broadly informed by consultations with key stakeholder groups. This was considered essential given the maturity level of the Finnish HEIs, their longstanding quality work dating back decades, three completed cycles of audits and various changes in the higher education landscape and the operating environment. In addition to ensuring alignment with the ESGs, the renewed framework was designed to address the needs of the higher education sector.

The planning for the new framework took place during autumn 2024 and spring 2025 (see Figure 2). In August 2024, the Higher Education Evaluation Committee appointed a planning team responsible for developing the new framework. The external planning team had six members representing the universities (2) and universities of applied sciences (1), work life (2), and students (1). The composition of the planning team is available on FINEEC’s website. FINEEC’s two project managers planned, organised and facilitated the process and contributed to the planning team’s work. In addition, FINEEC decided early in the process to involve international experts, in response to suggestion made by the ENQA review panel to involve international experts more in its activities. The profiles of the international experts consulted is available on FINEEC’s website.

The first phase of the work, carried out in autumn 2024, focused on defining the purpose, objectives, structure and scope of the new framework. The process began with a clean slate to avoid being constrained by previous audit cycles, the enhancement-led tradition, the audit method itself, or earlier thematic emphases. FINEEC sought to make the value judgements embedded in the framework explicit and therefore started by gathering views on what kind of HEIs Finland should be striving for and what the framework should promote. This work established the value base underpinning the framework. Another central question concerned the purpose and objectives of the framework, as these then shape the methodological choices. Feedback on the previous cycle was collected to identify elements that should be kept, revised or removed, to define the essential features of the renewed audit framework. During the autumn, several FINEEC staff members were also involved in a benchmarking exercise reviewing other QA agencies’ evaluation frameworks to identify good and innovative practices. The FINEEC project managers and the planning team worked in parallel with stakeholder consultations to draft the framework. The initial outline of the framework was presented to the Higher Education Evaluation Committee in December 2024.

In spring 2025, the focus shifted to finalising the criteria, assessment scale and audit manual. The audit manual was primarily drafted by the FINEEC project managers. The draft framework was then discussed during stakeholder consultations, with several key groups engaged twice during the process. FINEEC also organised a large open webinar with more than one hundred participants to gather broad input on the draft. Feedback from the international experts was also sought.

The consulted key stakeholder groups in the planning process included national student organisations (SYL and SAMOK), quality managers and vice-rectors responsible for education in both universities and universities of applied sciences, rectors (UASs), representatives from the Ministry of Education and Culture, and representatives of labour market. A survey was also conducted for quality managers to gather preliminary views ahead of the consultation meetings in the autumn. Three international experts were consulted twice during spring 2025, providing valuable external input to the discussions and ESGs. Throughout the process, FINEEC colleagues were informed of the process and participated in the open webinar. In the final stages, all FINEEC staff, including those working in other units, were given the opportunity to comment on the draft framework. 

In retrospect, the process could have been strengthened by involving a wider range of labour market representatives, as the consultations primarily included employer and employee organisations. Collecting systematic feedback from all participants would have also provided better overview of how the process was experienced and how it could be improved in the next revision. Although many participants in the process shared positive informal comments, structured feedback would have given more evidence-based feedback for future processes.

The Higher Education Evaluation Committee formally approved the fourth-cycle audit framework in June 2025 at the first presentation of the finalised framework. Pilot-phase versions of the audit manual were published in Finnish in August 2025 and in Swedish and English in September 2025, marking the start of the pilot phase. Piloting is being carried out in one university and one university of applied sciences, with site visits scheduled for April 2026 and audit decisions expected in August 2026. The audit manual will be revised based on findings from the pilots to ensure clarity, usability and applicability across different types of institutions. The intention is to also incorporate any necessary changes proposed for the ESG 2027. The final versions of the audit manual in all three languages are planned for publication in September 2026. The fourth audit cycle will begin in 2027.