The university status was granted from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in December 1981. Since then, HAU has been granted the renewal of its Autonomous Status, most recently in October 2019, for having “consistently shown exemplary performance in the provision of education research and extension services.” The Autonomous Status is the highest recognition that CHED can grant to any private higher education institution in the country.
In addition, CHED has also designated the University as Center of Development in Industrial Engineering in1999, in Business Administration in 2007, and in Teacher Education in 2008. In April 2019, these recognitions were renewed by the Commission.
Created with the passage of the Higher Education Act of 1994 (R.A. 7722) on May 18, 1994, CHED formulates “plans, policies, and strategies relating to higher education” in the country.
Holy Angel University received initial accreditation from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU) in August 1993.
After its most recent survey, PAASCU awarded Level 2 re-accredited status in May 2020 to the University’s Laboratory Elementary School and Junior High School programs.
Moreover, PAASCU conferred Level 3 re-accreditation in July 2021 to various HAU degree programs, namely: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, Bachelor of Science in Administration, Bachelor of Elementary Education, Bachelor of Secondary Education, Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management, and Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management.
A number of HAU undergraduate engineering programs, in addition, received Level 2 re-accredited status from PAASCU.These are: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. The University’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Science also obtained the same PAASCU recognition.
The Level 2 and Level 3 re-accredited status presented by PAASCU to the foregoing University academic programs are valid until November 2025.
As an accrediting agency that received official recognition from the government in 1967, PAASCU “accredits programs which meet standards of quality education.” Its offices are located in Quezon City, Philippines.
Holy Angel University received initial accreditation from the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities – Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) in December 2016.
HAU offers graduate degree programs with PACUCOA Level 1 accreditation. These programs are Doctor of Business Management, Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Management, Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Education major in Educational Leadership & Management, , Master in Business Management, , Master of Science in Engineering Management, Master of Arts in English Language and Literature Teaching, Master of Arts in Education major in Educational Management, , Master of Arts major in Religious Education, Master of Science in Hotel & Restaurant Management, and Master of Science in Nursing.
The University also offers undergraduate programs with Level 1 accredited status from PACUCOA. These are Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Bachelor of Science in Architecture, and Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering.
The other HAU programs with PACUCOA accreditation (Candidate Status) are Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, Bachelor of Science in Radiological Technology, Master in Information Technology, Master of Arts in Guidance and Counselling, and Master of Science in Psychology.
A private accrediting organization founded in 1932, PACUCOA “gives formal recognition to an educational institution by attesting that its academic program maintains excellent standards.” Its offices are in Quezon City, Philippines.
In 2016, HAU earned distinction as the sole recipient of the Philippine Quality Award (PQA), the highest recognition for quality and organizational excellence in the Philippines. The University is one of only three higher education institutions in the country to have achieved PQA Level 2 recognition for proficiency in quality management.
The PQA was created in October 1997 through an Executive Order and institutionalized with the passage of the Philippine Quality Award Act (R.A. 9013) in February 2001. The PQA sets internationally competitive criteria and standards for Philippine organizations based on the principles of Total Quality Management for measuring quality, productivity, and organizational performance.
The Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB), the national policy making body in in health research ethics, granted initial accreditation to the University’s Institutional Review Board in May 2018.Currently, HAU-IRB has provisional level 2 accreditation status with validity period March 24, 2021 to March 23, 2022.
HAU won the 2019 Employer of the Year (EOY) Award for Luzon from the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP).
Established in 1977, the PMAP Awards recognize outstanding organizations and individuals to help advance the people management profession in the Philippines.
The International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) granted initial accreditation to Holy Angel University in April 2008. Most recently, HAU received reaffirmation of accreditation in December 2016.
The University’s IACBE-accredited degree programs are Doctor of Business Management, Master of Business Management, Bachelor of Science in Business Management, and Bachelor of Science in Accountancy.
Founded in 1977, IACBE is a “leading outcomes-based professional accreditation agency for business and management education in colleges and universities whose primary purpose is excellence in teaching and learning.” It is based in Kansas, USA.
The Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA) conferred initial accreditation to HAU in August 2018. The HAU degree programs accredited by ACHPA are Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management and Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management.
Established in 1989, ACPHA is an “accrediting commission providing and maintaining standards for Hospitality Administration and Management programs” with offices in Maryland, USA.
HAU obtained International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 certification in April 2019 for all units and departments in the academic and non-academic sectors in the University, from basic education to the graduate school.
ISO 9001:2015 is the international standard for quality management system (QMS) which demonstrates the ability of organizations to consistently provide products, programs, and services that satisfy customer and regulatory requirements.
For excellence in education, HAU received the 2018 Global Performance Excellence Award from the Asia Pacific Quality Organization (APQO) in rites held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in December 2018.
APQO is a scientific and technical organization which traces its beginnings in 1981 in Manila, Philippines. With current offices in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, the organization works “towards improving the quality of products and services, processes, environment, economies, and enhancing quality of life.”
Admitted into the Cardinal Newman Society in 2017, HAU is the first University in Asia recommended by The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.
Founded in 1993, the Cardinal Newman Society promotes and defends faithful Catholic education. It is based in Virginia, USA.
In December 2017, HAU became the first university in the Philippines to be given the National School of Character seal by the Washington DC-based Character.org in through its affiliate Character Education Partnership Philippines. In granting the recognition, the organization cited the University for being a caring community, among other outstanding attributes.
The University's No Student Left Behind campaign received accolade as a Promising Practice at the 2018 National Forum on Character held in October 2018 in Washington, DC.
The University notched another milestone in its continual advance to academic excellence as the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) awarded certification to the first batch of HAU undergraduate programs in May 2021. To date, eight of the University’s academic offerings bear the AUN-QA seal: Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Bachelor in Elementary Education, and Bachelor in Secondary Education major in English.
The AUN-QA program level evaluation criteria consist of Expected Learning Outcomes, Program Specification, Program Structure and Content, Teaching and Learning Approach, Student Assessment, Academic Staff Quality, Support Staff Quality, Student Quality and Support, Facilities and Infrastructure, and Quality Enhancement and Output.
The international certification awarded to these HAU programs, which is valid for a period of five years, places the University among the top Philippine HEIs to have earned the prestigious AUN-QA recognition.
The AUN-QA seeks to harmonize educational standards and continuously improve academic quality in universities in the ASEAN region.