The OAAAQA has now completed an Institutional Standards Reassessment (ISR II) of Sur University College (SUC). This was carried out in accordance with the OAAAQA Institutional Standards Assessment Manual and its Addendum: Institutional Standards Reassessment (ISR), dated February 2018
(click here).
The institutional accreditation system in Oman consists of two stages: Institutional Quality Audit (IQA), followed by Institutional Standards Assessment (ISA). Where a Higher Education Institution (HEI) is unable to meet one or more of the applicable accreditation standards, they are obliged to undergo Institutional Standards Reassessment (ISR I) a maximum of one year after the ISA. An HEI may be entitled, depending on the results of the first ISR attempt, to a second ISR attempt to meet any standards outstanding from the first ISR attempt. The second attempt at ISR occurs a maximum of one year after the first attempt.
SUC’s ISR I results were approved (On Probation) by the OAAAQA Board on 1 October 2020 and the College was placed On Probation for one year. SUC submitted an ISR II Application on 15 November 2021 and a Panel was formed to undertake the Reassessment process; this comprised experienced locally-based and international external reviewers
(click here). During the Visit, which took place from 13-15 February 2022. The Panel spoke with more than 64 people, including representatives of the governing authorities, staff, students and external stakeholders. The Panel also reviewed a range of additional materials.
The OAAAQA Board approved the resulting ISR II Accredited (Second Attempt) Report on 4 September 2022 and the College has received a copy of that report. This report will not be made publicly available but will be circulated as a confidential document to OAAAQA Board Members and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.
The SUC ISR II resulted in an Accreditation Outcome of ‘Accredited’. SUC now joins the ranks of other HEIs already accredited by OAAAQA, namely, Majan University College, Dhofar University, College of Banking and Financial Studies, former Caledonian College of Engineering, Modern College of Business and Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Sohar University, Scientific College of Design, Middle East College, German University of Technology in Oman, Bayan College, Al Buraimi University College and Gulf College.