Welcome to the British Accreditation Council

For 40 years we have been responsible for setting standards within the independent further and higher education sector. Our accreditation is held by hundreds of colleges and training providers in the UK and overseas.

We provide the leading mark of educational quality for the sector, which is used by students, parents, agencies and beyond as a guarantee of standards.

All our providers have been rigorously inspected, with the latest reports available on this website. Institutions that carry our endorsement and the BAC mark therefore represent some of the leading and most reliable private colleges and training providers in the UK.

Also on this website you will find the latest information, updates and documentation needed for achieving and retaining accreditation, along with details of BAC’s additional services and support.

BAC’s brochure provides an overview of our background, areas of expertise and what we do.

Click here to download the brochure to tell your stakeholders more about BAC. 

Why BAC focuses on institutional accreditation

We’re delighted that you’re interested in learning more about BAC accreditation. We are proud to support high-quality education and training providers in the UK and internationally through our rigorous institutional accreditation process. Rather than accrediting individual programmes, we take a comprehensive approach – evaluating an institution’s overall governance, teaching standards, student support and commitment to continuous improvement. This ensures that quality is embedded across the entire organisation, giving students, employers and stakeholders confidence in the learning experience.

While programme accreditation offers many benefits, particularly for subject-specific or professional qualifications, institutional accreditation provides a broader framework that ensures quality is upheld consistently across all provision within an organisation. Our approach enables us to support a diverse range of providers, from vocational training providers to specialist higher education institutions, ensuring they meet rigorous, internationally recognised standards.

If you’d like to learn more about our eligibility criteria and how BAC accreditation could benefit your organisation, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us on +44 300 330 1400 or email info@the-bac.org.

If you would like to keep up to date with BAC and relevant industry news and announcements click here