The National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education (NIAD-QE) was launched April 1, 2016, when the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation merged with the Center for National University Finance and Management.
Since the merger, NIAD-QE has continued to carry out the work of its predecessors: evaluating universities and colleges, awarding academic degrees, conducting cooperative quality assurance, and providing loans and grants to facilities. In addition, we at NIAD-QE capitalize the achievements and strengths of our precursors to contribute to efforts to improve the quality of higher education.
With globalization, rapid advances in generative AI and other technologies, and the diversification of universities, the higher education environment in Japan is changing thoroughly and the role that NIAD-QE should play has increased tremendously in recent years.

In FY2021, NIAD-QE celebrated the 30th anniversary of its establishment. Under our system for awarding academic degrees, which dates back to our founding, more than 100,000 people have been awarded a degree. As Japan’s only non-university body that awards academic degrees, NIAD-QE will continue to contribute to the development of higher education.

In the realm of university evaluation, NIAD-QE has conducted certified evaluation and accreditation since FY2005 as an evaluation organization certified by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In addition, at the request of MEXT’s National University Corporation Evaluation Committee, NIAD-QE evaluates the state of education and research at national university corporations and inter-university research institute corporations during a mid-term objective period. Through evaluation, NIAD-QE supports universities and colleges in their efforts to improve the quality of education and research.
In the realm of loans and grants for facilities, NIAD-QE supports efforts to enhance the education and research environment, and to improve finance and management by providing loans and grants for the development of facilities at national university corporations, etc.

Furthermore, NIAD-QE will continue to contribute to ensuring the credibility of Japanese higher education qualifications and to facilitate recognition of qualifications together with other countries by serving as Japan’s official National Information Center (NIC) under the UNESCO’s conventions on the recognition of qualifications in higher education – the Global Convention, which entered into force in March 2023, as well as the Tokyo Convention.

The National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education Act was amended in FY2022, enabling NIAD-QE to provide subsidies to support the restructuring of faculties and other such initiatives at universities and colleges of technology aiming to cultivate highly skilled professionals who will drive growing fields such as digital and green businesses. In FY2023, NIAD-QE began providing these subsidies. We hope that this program will assist in further enhancing the functions of universities and colleges, which nurture the personnel who will support the future of the nation.

NIAD-QE has been in its fifth mid-term objective period since FY2024. Aiming to fulfill our new set of mid-term objectives, every member of NIAD-QE is dedicated to increasing the clarity of our operations and fulfilling our mission and role, in order to help further the development of Japanese higher education. We would therefore greatly appreciate your continued support and understanding.

Yasunao Hattori, Ph.D.
President
National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education (NIAD-QE), Japan