National Assessment and Accreditation Council - NAAC

India has one of the largest and most diverse education systems in the world. Privatization, widespread expansion, increased autonomy, and introduction of new and emerging programs have improved access to higher education. At the same time, it has led to concerns about the quality and relevance of higher education. To address these concerns, the National Policy on Education (NPE, 1986) and the Programme of Action (PoA, 1992) proposed strategic plans and advocated establishing an independent national accreditation agency.

Consequently, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established in 1994 as an autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission (UGC), headquartered in Bengaluru. NAAC's vision is to make quality assurance an integral part of the functioning of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

NAAC functions through its General Council (GC) and Executive Committee (EC), comprising educational administrators, policy makers, and senior academicians from across India’s higher education system. The Chairperson of the UGC is the President of the GC of NAAC, while the Chairperson of the EC is an eminent academician nominated by the President of GC. The Director serves as the academic and administrative head of NAAC and as the member-secretary of both the GC and EC. In addition to these statutory bodies, NAAC is advised by advisory and consultative committees constituted from time to time.