The rectors of the following higher schools are the signatories of this Agreement (sequence of the schools arises from ordering of the signatures of the rectors-signatories):

• Catholic University of Lublin
• The Pontifical Academy of Theology in Cracow
• Gdansk University
• Adam Mickiewicz University
• Jagiellonian University in Krakow
• Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University
• Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz
• University of Lodz
• Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin
• Nicolaus Copernicus University
• University of Opole
• Rzeszów University
• University of Szczecin
• University of Silesia
• University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
• University of Warsaw
• University of Bialystok
• University of Wroclaw
• University of Zielona Góra

The Agreement aims at:

• Creation of the standards of education quality at universities according to those of the European Union
• Upgrading of the quality of education
• Promotion of high-quality courses of studies and schools offering them

According to the Resolution of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities (CRPU) the

University Accreditation Commission (UAC)

was established on January 31, 1998.

UAC consists of vice-rectors or representatives of the schools-signatories of the Agreement appointed by the rectors of their schools, and two persons designated by CRPU. CRPU appoints UAC's chairman and two vice-chairmen.

The tenure of UAC members is three years.

The goal of UAC's activity is:

• Creation of an accreditation system of courses of studies at universities
• Equalization of the standards of education quality at universities

UAC's proper area of activity are all Polish universities. However, it may be expanded to cover also other Polish institutions of higher learning if they apply for accreditation of their courses of study.

The accreditation procedure for a given direction of studies commences when not less than five universities send in requests for accreditation of this direction. Following are the preconditions which must be met before the accreditation procedure may begin:

• An administrative unit of the school (a faculty, an institute, a chair) which applies for accreditation for a given area of studies applies internal methods of stimulating and evaluating the quality of education offered
• There exists for this area a system of assigning credit points which is congruent with the European system (ECTS)

The evaluation results are determined by the following standards:

• compatibility of classes (lectures, seminars, discussion groups, lab classes, etc.) with the specialization and publications of academic teachers teaching those classes who are full-time employees of the school
• proportion of professors participating in the realisation of the curriculum;
• the number of students per one senior scholar teaching in the given department who is a full-time employee of the school applying for accreditation. The acceptable ratio will be set by the expert group
• compatibility of the curriculum offered in the course of studies in this area and level of studies with the type of knowledge required for compatibility with European standards for this type of education
• possession by the organisational unit of the school which offers education in a given area of a profile of graduate
• possession of a system of gathering student opinions about the classes offered
• facilities used for educational purposes, especially:
   a. accessibility of reading material recommended for students at the school's library
   b. modernity of techniques of instruction and appropriate for the given number of students equipment of laboratories and other facilities used in the process of education
• documented co-operation with significant scientific or scholarly centres which offer education in analogous areas of studies, including - in the case of foreign schools - exchange of teachers and students

The University which asks for accreditation of its study area sends in a list of five candidates for the expert group, the evaluation teams and appellate teams. The list of candidate should consists of two senior scholars employed at the school asking for the accreditation and three senior scholars from other schools. To the list should be attached concise information about the candidates' scholarly achievements and their written consent to participate in the bodies for which they are nominated.

UAC selects from among all the candidates nominated an expert group consisting of six to twelve persons, including its chairman, and an evaluation team (or several such teams) consisting of three to five members.

The task of the expert group is to prepare, within two months of its nomination, of specific standards for assessing the quality of education for specific area of studies. The specific standards are subject to acceptance by UAC. The expert group periodically reviews the standards for assessing the quality of education and sends to UAC a report on the reviews conducted at least once every two years.

The evaluation team is to:

• conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of an area of studies offered at a specified institution of higher learning
• prepare a written report on the review and assessment conducted and to present it to UAC together with a recommendation to award the accreditation, to defer it until specified conditions are met, or to refuse accreditation

Accreditation is granted for 2 or 5 years