Presently, NAAC is undertaking the evaluation of the overall functioning of the institution, which comprises of the governance structure and all its academic units i.e., Schools, Departments and Centres, based on identified criteria. This is referred to as 2 institutional accreditation.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) through a gazette notification dated 19th January 2013, has made it mandatory for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to undergo accreditation.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) which have a record of at least two batches of students graduated or been in existence for six years, whichever is earlier, are eligible to apply for the process of Assessment and Accreditation (A&A) of NAAC. For more specific details the website may be referred to.

When an institution undergoes the accreditation process for the first time it is referred to as cycle 1 and the consecutive five year periods as cycle 2, 3, etc. The process in each cycle is similar except that from cycle 2, the frame of reference includes the impact of the last assessment and the consequential quality improvement as reflected in the AQARs submitted over the 4year post accreditation period.

The Process for assessment and accreditation broadly consists of:
  1. Online submission of Institutional Information for Quality Assessment (IIQA) and Self-Study Report (SSR).
  2. Data Validation and Verification (DVV) by NAAC.
  3. Student Satisfaction Survey (SSS) by NAAC
. 4. Peer Team Visit. 
  5. Institutional Grading

For IIQA, Current Academic Year data has to be provided. For SSR, the data for latest five completed Academic Years have to be provided.

The Self-Study Report is in an online format. It has the following sections. a. Executive Summary b.Profile of the Institution. c.Quality Indicators Framework (QIF) comprising of Data Templates/Documents (Quantitative and Qualitative) d.Evaluative Report of Departments (University and Autonomous College).

The NAAC has identified seven criteria which encompass the functioning of an institution. These criteria are disaggregated into Key Indicators (KIs) and further sub- divided into Qualitative and Quantitative Metrics.

The institutional score will be the cumulation of the scores on the Quantitative Metrics, Qualitative Metrics and Student Satisfaction Survey

The accreditation given by NAAC is usually valid for a period of five years from the date of approval by the Executive Committee (EC) of NAAC. Institutions which have secured the highest grade consecutively in the previous two cycles of accreditation and continue to do so in the 3rd cycle will be eligible for extension of validity from 5 years to 7 years.