The establishment of a new entity which merges the National Accreditation Board (LAN) and the Quality Assurance Division, Ministry of Higher Education (QAD) was approved by the Government on 21 December 2005. This entity is responsible for quality assurance of higher education for both the public and the private sectors.

The new entity, the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), was established on 1 November 2007 with the coming in force of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007. The MQA was officially launched by the Honourable Minister of Higher Education, Dato’ Mustapa Mohamed, on 2 November 2007.

As a quality assurance body, the functions of MQA are:
(i) To implement MQF as a reference point for Malaysian qualifications;

(ii) To develop standards and credits and all other relevant instruments as national references for the conferment of awards with the cooperation of stakeholders;

(iii) To quality assure higher education institutions and programmes;

(iv) To accredit courses that fulfil the set criteria and standards;

(V) To facilitate the recognition and articulation of qualifications; and

(vi) To maintain the Malaysian Qualifications Register (MQR).