(1) On receipt of an application, the Council shall undertake an evaluation of the tertiary institution and programme of study to determine if the tertiary institution and programme of study meets the standard of accreditation.
(2) An evaluation under subsection (1) must include validation.
(3) In undertaking an evaluation under subsection (1), the Council shall consider —
(a) the mission of the tertiary institution or programme of study and any specialized programme which the tertiary institution intends to offer;
(b) the goals and objectives of the tertiary institution or programme of study;
(c) the conditions under which the goals or objectives under paragraph (b) are to be achieved;
(d) each course and its coherence with the programme of study;
(e) the expected standards and the maintenance of the standards;
(f) the list of programmes of study to be offered and the policy regarding credits;
(g) links with other accredited institutions;
(h) the student registry, and admissions policy;
(i) the maintenance of student records;
(j) the availability of student counselling services and procedure for monitoring student performance;
(k) in the case of recruitment of students into a tertiary institution —
(i) the standards and recruitment procedures,
(ii) the conduct of oral and practical exams,
(iii) the grading systems as a basis of classifying student performance;
(l) examination regulations and procedures including —
(i) the setting, marking and appeals of written examinations,
(ii) the conduct of research proposals and other oral examinations,
(iii) the grading systems as a basis of evaluating student performance;
(m) the procedure for selecting and performance of external examiners;
(n) the availability of equipment, facilities and experiences necessary to deliver the curriculum —
(i) the adequacy of facilities,
(ii) linkages with other libraries and other tertiary institutions in the Caribbean and outside the Caribbean;
(o) quality control and quality assurance systems with the tertiary institution and programmes of study offered;
(p) the proposed physical location of the tertiary institution including —
(i) projections regarding student enrolment and staff size,
(ii) provisions for classrooms, laboratories, and offices;
(q) proposals regarding the financing and managing of the tertiary institution including —
(i) the charter of the tertiary institution,
(ii) the governing body of the tertiary institution, and
(iii) costs and efficiency of the tertiary institution; and
(r) benefits to the local economy.
(2) The Council shall not in considering an application for accreditation be restricted to the information contained in the application.