Accreditation as a form of recognition of educational activity exists in almost all the developed countries, and in most of them accreditation is the involvement of the independent structures into the quality management of education.

The notion of public accreditation appeared in the Russian legislation in 1992.

The Law of the Russian Federation "On Education" No. 266-1 dated 10.07.1992 (repealed)

 The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 26 May 2009 No. 599
"On measures to improve higher legal education in the Russian Federation"

The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 7 May 2012 No. 599
"On measures to implement state policy in the field of education and research"

State Programme of the Russian Federation "Development of Education" for 2013-2020 (app. by the Resolution of the Government of the RF dated 15 May 2013 No. 792-р)

The Conception of the Federal Targeted Programme of the Development of Education for 2016 - 2020
(APPROVED by the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation dated by 29 December 2014 No. 2765-р)

"...In the framework of the formation of demanded system for the evaluation of the quality of education and learning outcomes the following activities will be implemented: development of the system of quality evaluation in secondary vocational and higher professional education through the support of independent accreditation and evaluation of the quality of educational programmes ..."

"The activity for the development of quality evaluation system in secondary vocational and higher education through the support of independent accreditation and evaluation of the quality of educational programmes implies assurance of the implementation of the mechanisms for professional-public accreditation of the educational programmes for all interrelated specialty groups (areas)..."

The Federal Law of the Russian Federation dated 29 December 2012 N 273-ФЗ
"On Education in the Russian Federation"

Article 89. Governance of the System of Education

"… 2. Governance of the system of education involves the following:
7) independent evaluation of the quality of education, public and public-professional accreditation..."

Article 96. Public accreditation of institutions which implement educational activity. Professional-public accreditation of educational programmes

"… 3. Employers, their associations as well as organizations authorised by them, are entitled to conduct professional-public accreditation of professional educational programmes which are delivered by an orgnanization, implementing educational activity"

"… 8. Information on public or professional-public accreditation, acquired by an educational institution, is submitted to an accreditation body and is taken into consideration when conducting state accreditation"

The Decree of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation "On amendments to the Order of the competition on distribution of admission quotas for citizens by professions, specialties and areas of training for the education in study programmes of secondary vocational and higher education, which are granted state accreditation, at the expense of federal budget allocations, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated 15 July 2013 No. 560"

Project of the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation "On the approval of the Order of the competition for distribution of admission quotas by professions, specialties, areas of training and (or) interrelated groups of professions, specialties or areas of training for education in study programmes of secondary vocational and higher education at the expense of federal budget allocations"