A higher education institution's quality culture rests on a capable quality assurance body that can take decisions and enforce standards. Under the HEC Quality Assurance Framework PSG-2023, every university is required to establish such a body. Abbottabad University of Science & Technology has constituted the Institutional Quality Circle (IQC) — a fully recognised and independent quality council, authorised to take competent decisions, apply quality requirements and assure continual quality improvement.
The IQC examines and ratifies the reports of all quality assurance activity — including RIPE and PREE — and ensures that recommendations are implemented in full by the relevant offices, officials and departments of the University. It approves the activities and reports of all External Quality Assessments (EQA) and Internal Quality Assessments (IQA) on receipt by the institution or its Registrar.
Notification
The IQC was re-constituted by the Office of the Registrar (Establishment Section) vide F. No. AUST/Estt./2026/1604 dated 17 March 2026, in supersession of Notification No. Reg/AUST/2024/0495 dated 24 May 2024, under the powers vested in the Vice Chancellor by Section 11(5)(a) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012 (as amended), in accordance with the HEC Quality Assurance Framework PSG-2023.
Constitution
| # | Member | Role |
|---|---|---|
| i | Vice Chancellor, Abbottabad UST | Convener |
| ii | All concerned Academic and Administrative Heads, Abbottabad UST | Members |
| iii | Director Quality Enhancement (as Head of the Institutional Quality Assessment and Effectiveness unit) | Member / Secretary |
| iv | Officials of affiliated colleges, where the Vice Chancellor invites | Co-opted Members |
| v | Director Student Affairs / Student Council Representation (YDC) | Members |
Meetings
Besides ratifying the institutional self-evaluation, the IQC convenes at least four times a year in its capacity as the final delegated authority for quality assurance management at the University.
Terms of Reference
The terms of reference derive from Annex-2 of PSG-2023 (pages 31–32) together with the functions set out across the four PSG books.
- Monitor external guidance and requirements — oversee all relevant external quality assurance guidance and requirements, and initiate or coordinate the necessary actions.
- Develop and review the Academic Policy and Quality Framework — continuously develop, review and manage the systems, policies and guidelines that assure and enhance the quality of the student learning experience and maintain academic standards.
- Oversight of information accuracy — ensure the University's approach to providing accurate, reliable and complete information for applicants and students is comprehensive and fit for purpose.
- Oversight of academic and student-related policy — maintain operational oversight of academic and student-related policy and legislation, consulting legal services where required.
- Consider programme changes — review and approve the addition, withdrawal, suspension or exceptional amendment of programmes of study.
Role of the IQC in RIPE
- Constitute the Institutional Performance & Enhancement Report Committee (IPERC).
- Instruct IPERC to prepare the Institutional Progress Report — the University's annual portfolio for the financial year 1 July to 30 June — for submission to the Director Quality Enhancement for evaluation by 15 July each year.
- Constitute the RIPE committee: five to seven members, internal and external, including at least one external member from the HEC pool of experts, with internal members drawn from seasoned senior academics and administrative heads.
- Sign off, review and approve the RIPE / Self-RIPE report, develop the Compliance Action Plan (CAP) and oversee its implementation under the institutional CQI policy.