The Japan Association for College Accreditation (JACA) was established in April 1994 as an organization with 491 member junior colleges of Japan. The membership in the organization is voluntary. The primary purpose of JACA is to support and promote the continuous improvement and the maintenance of academic quality of member junior colleges through self-study and assessment.

A partial revision of the School Education Law in November 2002, which was implemented in 2004, requires all junior colleges to undergo a systematic accreditation process at least once every seven years. A college’s self-evaluation and accreditation review are to cover all aspects of institution’s operation, including the condition of general educational, instruction, research, facilities and equipment, administrational management, finances, etc.

Accreditation is to be conducted by an agency that is duly recognized and certified by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Having gained substantial experience in the promotion and support of the Mutual Assessment by junior colleges, JACA was officially recognized as a certified accrediting agency in January, 2005. JACA was also approved as a Self-Governing Foundation by MEXT in March, 2005 and began the formulation of accreditation policies and procedures for Japan’s junior colleges.

The purpose of JACA’s accreditation is to sustain the overall quality of junior college education, and to do so by assisting and supporting member junior colleges in their efforts to improve and maintain the quality of their educational and research activities through continuous self-study and assessment. The aim of publishing the results of accreditation is to not to grade or rank member junior colleges according to their results, but to gain broad public understanding and support.

On the basis of fostering a healthy monitoring system, JACA places great importance on peer review in which both of the evaluators and the evaluated are engaged in each other’s improvement.

Organization History