Who decides whether an institution may issue degrees?

Short answer

Whether an institution may legally issue degrees is determined by the laws, regulations and designated authorities in the country or jurisdiction where the institution operates. Institutions must hold any licence, registration or statutory degree-awarding power required by local law before issuing degrees. ITAA provides independent theological accreditation and does not grant statutory degree-awarding powers or replace governmental recognition.

How degree-awarding authority is decided

Most countries set degree-awarding authority in legislation or through a national qualifications authority, higher education regulator or ministry of education. These statutory bodies approve, register or licence institutions to issue degrees and often maintain public registers of recognised providers. The specific tests and processes vary by jurisdiction and may include programme approval, institutional review, financial and governance checks, and ongoing quality assurance.

What ITAA accreditation means (and does not mean)

ITAA is a non-governmental accreditation body: ITAA evaluates theological institutions against sector-specific standards and awards institutional accreditation to signal institutional maturity and student protection. ITAA accreditation is an independent quality-assurance process and:

• confirms an institution meets ITAA standards for theological education and governance;
• promotes transparency for students and stakeholders;
• does not confer statutory degree-awarding powers nor replace any governmental licence or registration required by law.

Institution responsibilities

Institutions remain solely responsible for complying with all applicable national, state/provincial, regional and local laws before issuing degrees. They must ensure they hold any required statutory approvals, maintain accurate public information and not imply governmental recognition if none exists.

Legal statements (verbatim)

ITAA is a private theological accreditation agency.

ITAA is not a governmental accreditation authority.

ITAA accreditation never overrides local law.

Institutions remain solely responsible for compliance with all applicable national, state or provincial, regional, and local laws.

ITAA does not grant statutory degree-awarding powers.

Accreditation status does not replace governmental recognition where required.

Institutional rankings measure the maturity of systems and governance, not the value of a ministry, spiritual calling, ministry effectiveness, or God’s favour.