The University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) is the External Quality Assurance (EQA) body for tertiary education in Jamaica. It is a statutory body currently under the portfolio of the Ministry of Education Youth and Information.
The UCJ quality assurance processes include: the registration of institutions, programme readiness assessment, the accreditation of programmes/institutions, recognition of programmes and monitoring.
In executing its functions, the UCJ has developed a number of Guidelines and Standards that are available to be used by its stakeholders, in the evaluation of institutions and programmes. These guidelines and standards aid in the delivery of programmes of study at different levels.
In fulfilment of its mission the UCJ also seeks to provide the following:
- More efficient use of the existing tertiary and higher educational infrastructure in order to optimise the limited financial resources;
- Greater articulation among the institutions comprising the tertiary and higher education system so as to achieve a more integrated framework;
- Facilitation of a system capable of responding more effectively to the country changing manpower needs.