Council on Higher Education

What Council on Higher Education does

The Council on Higher Education (CHE) is an independent statutory body of the South African government, established under the Higher Education Act No. 101 of 1997 and designated as the Quality Council for Higher Education under the National Qualifications Framework Act No. 67 of 2008. It operates from Pretoria and is the sole national authority responsible for quality assurance, programme accreditation, institutional audits, and qualification standards across South Africa's higher education sector. CHE discharges these functions through its permanent committee, the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), and through dedicated online platforms — HEQCIS, HEQSF-Online, the National Reviews Online System, and the Nominations Portal — which collectively manage accreditation workflows, the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework, and national standards reviews.

CHE's core product set spans regulatory services (programme accreditation, institutional audits), technology platforms (HEQCIS, HEQSF-Online, National Reviews Online System), and an extensive publications portfolio (Higher Education Monitor series, VitalStats annual statistics, BrieflySpeaking briefs, criteria and frameworks documents). It also operates the Quality Enhancement Project (QEP), a national institutional improvement programme launched in 2014, and maintains guidance resources on remote teaching and learning. Customers are segmented horizontally: the primary constituencies are South Africa's 23 public universities, registered private higher education institutions, TVET colleges, and broader higher education stakeholders including policymakers and researchers.

The business model is non-commercial. CHE does not earn per-institution fees or product revenue; it is funded through government appropriations under the Department of Higher Education and Training, with the Minister appointing Council members. Strategic direction is set by an appointed Council and executed under CEO Prof Narend Baijnath (appointed August 2015). Distribution of services is direct and mandated by statute, supplemented by partnerships with quality councils (SAQA, QCTO, Umalusi), DHET, USAF, HELTASA, and discipline-specific regulators such as the South African Pharmacy Council under a formal collaboration signed 26 January 2026.

Name

Council on Higher Education

Legal name

Council on Higher Education

Website

https://che.ac.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Council on Higher Education is a South African statutory body that serves as the national authority for higher education quality assurance, accreditation, institutional audits, and qualification standards across the country's 23 public universities and registered private HEIs, funded through government appropriations under DHET.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Quality Assurance

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Higher Education Regulators & Tertiary Education Commissions (EDADAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Higher Education Academic Standards & Degree Framework Authorities (EDADAEAG), Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)

Keywords

• Higher education quality assurance
• Programme accreditation
• Institutional audits
• Qualification frameworks
• Education policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Council on Higher Education (CHE) is South Africa's statutory Quality Council for Higher Education, providing independent quality assurance, programme accreditation, and institutional audits across public and private higher education institutions. It develops and manages the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) and delivers its services through proprietary online platforms (HEQCIS, HEQSF Online, National Reviews Online System). The organisation also produces a substantial body of research, monitoring, and policy publications covering higher education trends, funding, access, and transformation.

Product overview

The Council on Higher Education (CHE) operates as a platform of interconnected quality assurance systems and services for South African higher education. The core infrastructure consists of HEQCIS (Higher Education Quality Committee Information System), HEQSF Online, and the National Reviews Online System, which together enable programme accreditation, institutional audits, and qualifications management. The Quality Enhancement Project (QEP) complements these systems by driving continuous improvement at institutional level. The CHE also produces research publications including the VitalStats series and policy advice documents, alongside providing guidance on remote teaching and learning. The organisation functions through its Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) as a permanent quality assurance body.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HEQCIS (Higher Education Quality Committee Information System)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2026Formal collaboration to strengthen quality assurance in pharmacy education and training. Joint media statement formalizing cooperation between the two regulatory bodies.
• South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for the National Qualifications Framework. Listed as partner on CHE website footer alongside other quality councils and government departments.
• Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality Council partner for occupational qualifications. Listed as partner on CHE website footer.
• UmalusicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality council for general and further education. Listed as partner on CHE website footer. Also collaborated in joint media statement addressing areas of common interest.
• Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department responsible for higher education policy. CHE operates under DHET's mandate and collaborates on post-school education and training.
• Universities South Africa (USAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresentative body for South African public universities. Listed as partner on CHE website footer.
• Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for joint National Excellence in Teaching Awards recognizing outstanding teaching achievements in higher education.
• Council on Higher Education Lesotho (CHE Lesotho)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership supporting quality assurance development in Lesotho higher education institutions. CHE issued RFP for development of institutional audit framework.
• South African National Resource Centre (SANRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization listed on CHE website footer.
• South African University Teachers (SAUT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization listed on CHE website footer.
• Department of Basic Education (DBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department for basic education. Listed as partner on CHE website footer.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• NVAO (Accreditation Organisation of Netherlands and Flanders): Independent accreditation body for higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders, established by law. Direct functional analogue to CHE in operating a national accreditation regime for HEIs, with comparable institutional audit and programme review processes.

Others

• South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA): Statutory body overseeing the National Qualifications Framework in South Africa, of which CHE is a constituent Quality Council. Partner/ecosystem organization rather than direct competitor; comparable in NQF governance role and in serving overlapping higher education stakeholders.

Broad incumbents

• ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education): European umbrella body for HE quality assurance agencies, setting standards (ESG) and convening the EQAR registry. Comparable to CHE as the coordinating authority on quality assurance standards, though operating at supranational scope rather than as a national regulator.
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC): US regional accreditor recognized by the Department of Education covering institutional accreditation across multiple US states. Comparable to CHE in delivering institutional accreditation and quality reviews, though operating at regional rather than national scale with a different governance model.
• TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency): Australia's national higher education regulator responsible for registration, accreditation, and quality standards. Direct functional analogue to CHE — independent statutory authority overseeing quality and standards across public and private HEIs in a defined national jurisdiction.
• QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education): The UK's statutory higher education quality assurance body, designated to safeguard academic standards and quality. Highly comparable to CHE in mandate (programme accreditation, institutional review, qualifications framework oversight), operating under similar statutory authority for a national higher education system.

Direct peers

• HKCAAVQ (Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications): Statutory body responsible for accreditation of academic and vocational qualifications in Hong Kong, operating under the Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications Ordinance. Closely analogous to CHE in role as Quality Council within a qualifications framework, with parallel functions in programme accreditation and qualifications registration.
• Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO): South Africa's Quality Council for Trades and Occupations, third NQF Quality Council alongside CHE and Umalusi. Peer in statutory mandate (occupational qualifications) and parallel structure under the NQF Act, jointly regulating the post-school education landscape.
• Umalusi: South Africa's Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, a sister Quality Council under the NQF alongside CHE. Direct institutional peer operating the equivalent accreditation and standards function for the General and Further Education band, with overlapping governance and statutory framework.

Regional players

• CHE Lesotho (Council on Higher Education Lesotho): Lesotho's statutory higher education regulator, for which CHE provides capacity-building and framework development (e.g., institutional audit framework RFP). Direct peer in mandate and namesake; comparable role at smaller national scale with explicit CHE relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CHESouthAfrica
• Xx.com/che_southafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-on-higher-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Council on Higher Education