The Italian system of Higher Education in the Arts, Music, and Dance (AFAM) includes both state and private institutions, which are distributed across the country and authorized by the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR). Since the Regulation on the evaluation of AFAM Institutions has not yet been issued, ANVUR’s mandate only partially covers the types of institutions and levels of educational offerings.

Initial accreditation applies to new private AFAM institutions and consists of MUR’s authorization to confer higher education qualifications. This authorization is based on ANVUR’s evaluation, which assesses the adequacy of facilities, available resources, quantitative and qualitative faculty requirements and financial and economic sustainability. State AFAM institutions, on the other hand, are established by law.

Currently, only private AFAM institutions undergo periodic assessment, which ensures the continued fulfillment of the requirements that led to their initial accreditation. Evaluations take place at the end of the second and fifth year of activity and subsequently every five years. Institutions may request the activation of new academic diploma programs or additional campuses only after obtaining a positive first periodic evaluation.

For state AFAM institutions, a periodic accreditation system has not yet been regulated. However, ANVUR has launched a Pilot Project for quality assurance, currently applied on a voluntary basis.