Registration and recognition for private higher education institutes

Do you have a private education institution? And do you want to issue legally recognised diplomas for senior secondary vocational education (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, MBO) or higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO)? You must apply for recognition or accreditation for your education and register your institution. 

Recognition of senior secondary vocational education 

You apply for recognition for senior secondary vocational education (MBO) to the Education Executive Agency (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, DUO). You do this for:

• prevocational learning pathway (beroepsopleidende leerweg, bol) and the training on the job learning path (beroepsbegeleidende leerweg, bbl) (in Dutch)
• the third learning pathway (derde leerweg, in Dutch) 
• adult general secondary education (voortgezet algemeen volwassenenonderwijs, VAVO, in Dutch) 
• other education including taalschakeltrajecten (TSTs, a preparatory course for higher eduction) (in Dutch)

If your MBO course is recognised you will be registered in the Institutions and Programmes Register (Registratie Instellingen en Opleidingen, RIO, in Dutch). Each registered education programme receives an identifying code (opleidingscode) which describes the programme. If you change that the programme to the extent it no longer fits the code, you must reapply for recognition (in Dutch). 

Recognition and accreditation of higher professional education 

If you operate a private education institution, you must apply for initial accreditation with the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). You must also apply to become a degree-issueing institution (graadverlening, in Dutch) to the Education Executive Agency (DUO). 

Your NVAO accreditation is valid for 6 years. After 6 years you must apply for accreditation of existing programmes. Your institution must also undergo institutional audits periodically.