Ontario

The Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance (the Quality Council), established by OCAV in 2010, is the provincial body responsible for assuring the quality of all programs leading to degrees and graduate diplomas granted by Ontario’s publicly assisted universities and the integrity of these universities’ quality assurance processes. Through these practices, the Quality Council also helps institutions to improve and enhance their programs. In fulfilling its mission, the Quality Council operates in a fair, accountable and transparent manner with clear and openly accessible guidelines and decision-making processes, and through reasoned results and evidenced-based decisions.

The Quality Council has the following roles and responsibilities:

  • To guide Ontario’s publicly assisted universities in the ongoing quality assurance of their academic programs;
  • To review and approve proposals for new graduate and undergraduate programs;
  • To ensure through regular audits that Ontario’s publicly assisted universities comply with quality assurance guidelines, policies and regulations for graduate and undergraduate programs;
  • To communicate final decisions to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities;
  • To review and revise, from time to time for future application, the Council of Ontario University’s quality assurance protocols in light of its own experiences and developments in the field of quality assurance;
  • To liaise with other quality assurance agencies, both provincially and elsewhere; and
  • To undergo regular independent review and audit at intervals of no longer than eight years.


Under the terms of the new framework, each Ontario university will develop its own Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP) to reflect its mission and university degree level expectations and meet the protocols established in the Framework. Universities will submit their individual IQAPs to the Quality Council for review and approval. Once its IQAP has been approved, the university will be responsible for developing and reviewing its undergraduate and graduate programs using the procedures defined in its IQAP.


The Quality Council will be responsible for reviewing and approving all new undergraduate and graduate programs by 2011-2012. The Quality Council will also undertake audits of undergraduate and graduate program reviews of each university on an eight-year cycle to ensure compliance with the IQAP.


Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance. (April 22, 2010). Quality Assurance Framework.


The following web sites provide additional information about quality assurance in Ontario universities: