How Does the NAAC Grading System Work?
NAAC accredited institutions enjoy credibility and a reputation of being a quality education institutions. State universities find NAAC accreditation useful when applying for UGC grants and financial aid. NAAC has designed an intricate assessment criterion and a grading system to assess and accredit universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education.
Here’s a look at the NAAC grading system and how it is calculated –
Criterion for Grading
- The Peer Team Report – A qualitative report prepared upon the peer team visit. The peer team members are expected to write this report in about 300-500 words. Moreover, the team is expected to give out a score on Qualitative Metrics (Q1M) that are assigned from 0 to 4 (0/1/2/3/4) -without fractions
- Institutional Grading – A quantitative report based on the following seven criteria:
- Curricular Aspects: It includes the curriculum and syllabus followed by the institution.
- Teaching & Learning Evaluation: Involvement of teachers in teaching-learning activities to enhance student progress.
- Research, Consultancy, and Extensions: Encouraging students towards research and innovation for personal growth.
- Infrastructure and Learning Resources: Assess infrastructure and facilities such as laboratories, libraries, classrooms, EdTech tools and other resources.
- Student Support and Progression: Paying attention to student progress and being aware of their needs.
- Governance, Leadership, and Management: Initiatives to empower academic faculty, mentoring faculties and strategies for institutional growth.
- Institutional Values and Best Practices: Best practices by following institutional values.
Apart from the above, the NAAC grading system also considers the institutional CGPA and letter grade. The CGPA, or the cumulative grade point average, is the institution’s score in the assessment process. The letter grade is a consolidation of the quality levels exhibited by the institution, the performance descriptor, and accreditation status.
Calculation of the Institutional CGPA
The institutional cumulative grade point average is calculated based on the scores obtained by the higher education institution from three sources –
- System Generated Scores (SGS) of the quantitative metrics. SGS holds 70% of the total weightage in the calculation.
- Scores from the qualitative assessment.
- Critical appraisal by the peer team during the onsite visit
- Scores obtained in the student satisfaction survey
The scores are collated through an automated procedure based on ‘benchmarks’ and assessed on a five-point scale.
The Final Grade
The final grade awarded to an institution is on a seven-point scale. It is based on the CGPA and other qualitative factors as outlined above. The seven-point scale is aligned with seven-letter grades that indicate the status of the higher education institution.
Final CGPA Range | Letter Grade | Status |
3.51-4.00 | A++ | Accredited |
3.26-3.50 | A+ | Accredited |
3.01-3.25 | A | Accredited |
2.76-3.00 | B++ | Accredited |
2.51-2.75 | B+ | Accredited |
2.01-2.50 | B | Accredited |
1.51-2.00 | C | Accredited |
≤ 1.50 | D | Not Accredited |
The assessment and accreditation process of NAAC is thorough and nuanced. It is advisable for any higher education institution to partner with an expert to navigate the process. Manage the ranking and accreditation process with CollPoll to simplify your journey. If you are a higher education institution that needs help with the NAAC accreditation application, talk to us today.