Meaning and benefits of the EUR-ACE label: Portuguese higher education institutions

The European Higher Education Area was meant to ensure more comparable, compatible and coherent systems of higher education. This is possible however, only if there is a trustful relationship amongst its members and by the creation of quality assurance mechanisms, such as the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and its agencies. Nevertheless, it seems that in certain professional areas, like engineering, this European accreditation is not sufficient, and other means of quality assurance with worldwide recognition are sought, such as the EUR-ACE label. The aim of this research is to ascertain how the Portuguese Higher Education Institutions, with studies programmes that were awarded the EUR-ACE label, are using it in their promotion and what are its meanings and benefits. Based on the analysis done, it is possible to conclude that in spite of EUR-ACE labels being awarded to studies programmes and not to Institutions, they are being used to promote the Institutions. The stakeholders that are more frequently mentioned by the Institutions as beneficiaries of the EUR-ACE label are graduates, by means of the European and international professional mobility. The EUR-ACE label is seen by Institutions as a proof of the quality of studies programmes, because of its demanding and rigorous criteria, that assures Excellency and European and international high quality assurance standards.