Reviewing every running programme by 30 June 2029: a 36-month plan
Circular 54 gives each institution 36 months from 30 June 2026 to review and improve every programme it is running. For most universities that is about six semesters for every programme, its materials and its teaching staff. A plan that starts now leaves time to finish.
What does the 36-month review require?
A comprehensive review and improvement of every running programme so that it meets the circular, including its materials and teaching staff (Article 25.2).
The review covers textbooks, teaching materials, the teaching staff and learning resources, all checked against the programme's objectives, outcomes and content. Materials that no longer meet the programme's needs, or contain content that breaks the law, must be reviewed, updated, replaced or withdrawn promptly (Article 25.2).
When does the review window close?
On 30 June 2029: 36 months after the circular took effect on 30 June 2026 (Articles 24.1 and 25.2).
The 36 months apply to every running programme. Separately, where a field had no programme standard when the circular took effect, programmes in that field are reviewed and updated no more than 24 months after the Minister's standard for that field takes effect (Article 25.5). Check how that date sits with 30 June 2029 for each of your fields.
Which programmes and students are affected?
- Running programmes already approved may continue to run (Article 25.1), and must be reviewed within the 36 months (Article 25.2).
- Students enrolled before 30 June 2026 continue on the programme in force when they enrolled. Applying a reviewed programme must protect their legitimate rights and interests (Article 25.7).
- Bachelor's programmes carry the new digital, AI, foreign-language and adaptability outcomes (Article 7.2(a)).
Who is responsible for the review?
The institution. The rector decides the changes.
The rector decides amendments to a programme on the basis of self-evaluation, outcome measurement and review (Article 20.4) and is responsible for programme data being complete, accurate, truthful and timely (Article 23.6). Institutions issue their own internal rules on building, running, evaluating and improving programmes (Article 26.3(a)). Changes are updated on the higher education database within 30 working days of the decision (Article 20.5).
What does a 36-month plan look like?
Four phases: inventory, rewrite and pilot, roll out with evidence, then decide and update. The dates below are our suggestion.
| Phase | When | What is done |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Inventory | Now to mid-2027 | List every running programme; map which required outcomes each states; survey lecturer AI capacity; record a baseline. |
| 2 · Rewrite and pilot | 2027–28 school year | Rewrite outcomes in measurable terms; update course outlines and materials; pilot new tasks and rubrics in one department. |
| 3 · Roll out with evidence | 2028–29 school year | Extend to every programme; train lecturers; collect evidence in the register each term. |
| 4 · Decide and update | Before 30 June 2029 | The rector decides the amendments; update the database within 30 working days; publish objectives, outcomes and structure. |
The phases and dates are WorldWise Learning's planning suggestion, not a schedule in the circular. Large institutions may need to stagger programmes across phases.
How does the review connect to the regular review cycle?
The regular cycle runs alongside it: programmes are reviewed at least after every two graduating cohorts, and reported every year.
Programmes are reviewed, evaluated and updated at least after every two cohorts graduate, or when development and quality assurance need it (Article 20.3), and institutions report each year before 31 December (Article 23.2). Both apply now, not only after 30 June 2029. Our suggestion: use the evidence you collect for the 36-month review as the starting point for the regular cycle.
What can a university do this month?
- Name one owner for the review: a person or committee accountable to the rector.
- List every running programme with its last review date and its next cohort's graduation.
- Take the free self-check for one programme to see the gaps in four areas.
- Put every programme on one dated timeline that ends before 30 June 2029, with a checkpoint each semester.