Polska Komisja Akredytacyjna

Name

Polska Komisja Akredytacyjna

Legal name

Polska Komisja Akredytacyjna

Website

https://pka.edu.pl

Company type

Public

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Quality Assurance

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADACAI

Accreditation Evaluation, Peer Review & Site-Visit Organizations

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDADACAK

Online/Distance Education Quality & Accreditation Bodies

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDADACAJ

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDADAGAM

Online & Distance Education Quality Assurance Reviews

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Quality Assurance, Compliance & Audit

Keywords

• Higher education accreditation
• Academic quality assurance
• Program evaluation services
• Education quality standards
• Higher education regulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PKA is the sole legally mandated external quality assurance body for Polish higher education. It conducts mandatory program evaluations (ocena programowa) of study programs at all public and non-public universities, issues binding opinions on applications to establish new programs or modify existing ones, and grants the Certificate of Excellence in Education to outstanding programs. Evaluations are mandatory by law and can result in withdrawal or suspension of program authorization by the Minister of Science and Higher Education.

Product overview

Polska Komisja Akredytacyjna (PKA) is Poland's independent quality assurance body for higher education. The organization offers a unified portfolio of core accreditation services centered on program evaluation (ocena programowa), opinion-giving on study program applications, and the Certificate of Excellence in Education. Supporting these primary services are public databases for program evaluation results, annual Quality Forums, webinars, and published research and reports on higher education quality assurance. PKA operates as a single integrated institutional offering rather than a modular product platform, providing mandatory external quality assessment for all Polish higher education institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ocena programowa (Program Evaluation) External assessment of study programs at Polish higher education institutions, evaluating compliance with quality standards and educational effectiveness. Mandatory for all public and non-public universities under the Law on Higher Education and Science.
• Opiniowanie wniosków (Opinion-giving on Applications) Issuing opinions on university applications for establishing new study programs, extensions of accreditation, or changes to existing programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Negative evaluation can result in minister's decision to withdraw or suspend program authorization
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Federation for Medical Education (WFME)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2025PKA obtained WFME certification in September 2025, granting full recognition status until September 30, 2035. This certification is significant for international recognition of medical education in Poland.
• National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012In 2012, the U.S. NCFMEA determined that PKA's procedures and standards for medical education accreditation are comparable to U.S. equivalents. This recognition was maintained in the 2017 re-evaluation. Enables Polish medical schools to participate in U.S. William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program.
• European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2009PKA was admitted to EQAR on April 15, 2009. EQAR is a register established jointly by ENQA, ESU, EUA, and EURASHE that lists quality assurance agencies whose activities substantially comply with European standards. PKA has maintained continuous registration since 2009.
• European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2009PKA obtained full membership status in ENQA on January 23, 2009 for a period of 5 years. Full membership was subsequently renewed multiple times, most recently in June 2024 for another 5 years until June 3, 2029. ENQA membership confirms PKA's operations meet European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG).
• International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2007PKA joined INQAAHE in May 2007. INQAAHE is a worldwide network promoting exchange of information and professional development for quality assurance agencies.
• European Consortium for Accreditation (ECA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2005PKA has been a member of ECA since December 2005. ECA focuses on cooperation among European accreditation agencies.
• Central and East European Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEENQA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002PKA has been a member of CEENQA since January 2002, shortly after its establishment. CEENQA brings together quality assurance agencies from Central and Eastern Europe.
• ANECA (Spain)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation agreement for mutual exchange and collaboration in quality assurance.
• NVAO (Netherlands)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual recognition agreement for accreditation decisions signed with the Dutch-Flemish accreditation organization.
• Konferencja Rectorów Akademickich Szkół Polskich (KRASP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic cooperation with the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland, representing public and private academic universities.
• Konferencja Rectorów Zawodowych Szkół Polskich (KRZaSP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic cooperation with the Conference of Rectors of Vocational Schools in Poland.
• Parlament Studentów Rzeczypospolitej PolskiejcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with the Students' Parliament of the Republic of Poland for student representation in quality assurance processes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HCERES (Haut Conseil de l'évaluation de la recherche et de l'enseignement supérieur): France's independent public authority for evaluating higher education and research. Directly comparable to PKA in its public-sector mandate, ESG-aligned evaluations, and broad coverage of universities and study programs.
• FINEEC (Finnish Education Evaluation Centre): Finland's national evaluation agency for education, covering higher education quality assurance. Comparable to PKA in public-sector mandate and ENQA membership; operates at smaller scale but with similar ESG-aligned program-level evaluation scope.
• NVAO (Netherlands-Flemish Accreditation Organisation): Dutch-Flemish QA and accreditation body covering higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders. Comparable in scope and authority to PKA, with a mutual recognition agreement already in place; both agencies operate as the legally designated national QA authorities.
• ANECA (Agencia Nacional de Evaluación de la Calidad y Acreditación): Spain's national quality assurance and accreditation agency for higher education. Directly comparable to PKA in mandate (external QA of universities and study programs), public institutional model, and ENQA/EQAR membership status; PKA already has a bilateral cooperation agreement with ANECA.
• AQAS (Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes): German-based, ENQA/EQAR-listed QA agency performing program accreditation across European HEIs. Comparable to PKA in focusing on study-program-level accreditation under ESG; operates in a similar regulatory space though with a more international, non-monopoly footprint.

Others

• WFME (World Federation for Medical Education): Global body that grants recognition to medical education accreditors. PKA is a recognized agency under WFME; WFME itself is not a peer agency but its framework defines PKA's medical accreditation standards, making it the closest peer-level reference for the medical education portion of PKA's mandate.
• CEENQA (Central and East European Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education): Network of QA agencies from Central and Eastern Europe in which PKA has been a member since 2002. Not a competitor but a peer ecosystem: comparable agencies (Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian, etc.) operate as CEENQA members and thus serve as natural functional peers of PKA.

Broad incumbents

• QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education): UK's independent quality body for higher education and a long-established ENQA/EQAR-listed agency. Comparable to PKA in core accreditation and review functions, but operates at significantly larger scale and as a broader incumbent across the UK HE sector.

Emerging players

• AHPGS (Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Health and Social Sciences): Germany-based, ENQA/EQAR-listed QA agency specializing in health and social sciences study program accreditation. Comparable to PKA in being ENQA/EQAR-listed and active in program accreditation, with thematic overlap given PKA's growing medical education role.

Regional players

• AKKORK (Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Career Development): Russia-focused higher education QA agency. Comparable in institutional design (national QA body for HEIs) and ESG-adjacent methodology, but serves a different national jurisdiction and is not a direct ENQA/EQAR-listed peer of PKA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/polska-komisja-akredytacyjna

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Polska Komisja Akredytacyjna