0992-922503 directorqec@aust.edu.pk Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
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Directorate of Quality Enhancement Abbottabad University of Science & Technology
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AUST ranked 118th worldwide in the HE Higher Education Ranking 2025 Student Course Evaluation Survey — Open for the Current Semester Call for Self-Assessment Reports — Academic Year 2026 Abbottabad UST conducts Self Graduate Programme Review for 2024–25 QEC Conducts Orientation on Outcome-Based Education Nomination of Departmental QEC Focal Persons AUST ranked 118th worldwide in the HE Higher Education Ranking 2025 Student Course Evaluation Survey — Open for the Current Semester Call for Self-Assessment Reports — Academic Year 2026 Abbottabad UST conducts Self Graduate Programme Review for 2024–25 QEC Conducts Orientation on Outcome-Based Education Nomination of Departmental QEC Focal Persons

PREE — Programme Review for Effectiveness and Enhancement is the framework under which the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan reviews the quality of academic programs. It is Document 04 of the HEC Quality Assurance Framework, developed by the Quality Assurance Agency in consultation with QAA-UK, and sits alongside PSG-2023, the Pakistan Precepts, Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

The eight PREE standards

A PREE review examines a programme as a whole rather than a single course or teacher, against eight standards. Each standard carries an expectation the programme must satisfy, supported by evidence.

  1. Programme mission, objectives and outcomes — each programme must have a documented mission, measurable objectives and defined learning outcomes.
  2. Curriculum design and organisation — the curriculum must be designed to deliver the stated outcomes, and be current, coherent and correctly sequenced.
  3. Subject-specific facilities — laboratories, studios, workshops and other discipline-specific resources must be adequate.
  4. Student advising and counselling — students must have adequate access to academic advice, counselling and career guidance.
  5. Teaching faculty and staff — faculty must be current in the discipline, sufficient in number and appropriately qualified.
  6. Institutional policies and process control — admission, registration, teaching, assessment and completion must be defined, documented and followed.
  7. Institutional support and facilities — library, classrooms, IT and general facilities must support the programme.
  8. Institutional general requirements — the wider institutional obligations that apply to every programme.

How a PREE review runs

  1. Scheduling — the Directorate notifies which programs are due for review in the academic year.
  2. Self-review — the department compiles its self-review report against the PREE criteria, with supporting evidence.
  3. Review panel — a panel is constituted, normally including a subject expert from outside the University.
  4. Review visit — the panel examines the evidence and meets faculty, students and support staff.
  5. Report and rating — the panel reports its findings, commendations, and areas requiring attention.
  6. Enhancement plan — the department prepares a corrective action plan with owners and deadlines.
  7. Follow-up — the Directorate verifies implementation and reports progress in the next cycle.

Relationship to accreditation

PREE is the University's internal review under the HEC framework. It does not replace evaluation by a professional accreditation council, but the evidence base the two require overlaps heavily, and a department that maintains its PREE documentation is substantially prepared for an accreditation visit.