The 7 Qualiopi criteria explained: how the framework is built

The French National Quality Framework (RNQ), the foundation of Qualiopi certification, is built on two levels: 7 criteria setting out the broad requirements, broken down into 32 indicators describing what the auditor actually checks. Understanding this architecture is the first step of any certification project: it explains why some indicators do not apply to you, where the major non-conformities sit, and how to organise your evidence. Here are the 7 criteria, one by one.

Overview: 7 criteria, 32 indicators

Criterion	Title (summary)	Indicators	Count
1	Information provided to the public	1 to 3	3
2	Objectives of the services	4 to 8	5
3	Welcome, support, follow-up, assessment	9 to 16	8
4	Teaching, technical and supervisory resources	17 to 20	4
5	Staff competencies	21 and 22	2
6	Anchoring in the professional environment	23 to 29	7
7	Feedback and complaints	30 to 32	3

Every organisation is audited on the 7 criteria, but not on all 32 indicators: some are reserved for CFAs or work-study programmes (3, 13 to 16, 20, 29), others apply “where relevant” (27 if you subcontract, 28 if you run workplace-based training). The indicator-by-indicator detail is in our table of the 32 indicators and on the indicator pages.

Criterion 1 — Information provided to the public

The starting point: what you announce to the public must be precise, accessible and verifiable. Indicator 1 requires complete information on your services (prerequisites, objectives, duration, prices, access lead times, disability accessibility), indicator 2 requires publishing performance indicators, and indicator 3 adds, for CFAs, pass and job-placement rates. This is the most visible criterion during the audit: the auditor often starts by browsing your website.

Criterion 2 — Objectives of the services

The heart of training design: analysing the need (indicator 4), formulating operational, measurable objectives (indicator 5), adapting content and delivery to the audience (indicator 6), guaranteeing alignment with the targeted certifications (indicator 7) and assessing learners on entry (indicator 8). This criterion checks that your courses are not off-the-shelf products sold identically to every client.

Criterion 3 — Welcome, support, follow-up and assessment

The densest one, with 8 indicators. For all organisations: informing learners about how the course will run (indicator 9), adapting the service and follow-up (indicator 10), assessing achievement of objectives (indicator 11) and preventing drop-outs (indicator 12). Indicators 13 to 16 are specific to work-study and CFAs: centre-company coordination, citizenship, apprentices’ rights and duties, presentation to exams.

Criterion 4 — Resources

Premises, equipment, supervision: adequate human and technical resources (indicator 17), coordination of trainers (indicator 18), teaching resources made available to learners (indicator 19) and, for CFAs, dedicated staff — disability and mobility officers, and the perfection council (indicator 20).

Criterion 5 — Staff competencies

Only two indicators, but among the most scrutinised: evidencing the competencies of trainers (indicator 21) and maintaining the professional development of all staff (indicator 22). Up-to-date CVs, diplomas, training certificates: this is a documentary-evidence criterion.

Criterion 6 — Anchoring in the professional environment

The most heterogeneous criterion: the three monitoring duties — legal, occupational and educational (indicators 23 to 25, detailed in our article on Qualiopi monitoring) —, welcoming people with disabilities (indicator 26), subcontracting and wage portage (indicator 27), workplace-based training (indicator 28) and apprentices’ job placement (indicator 29).

Criterion 7 — Feedback and complaints

The final quality loop: collecting feedback from all stakeholders — learners, funders, companies — (indicator 30, see our satisfaction survey templates), handling complaints and incidents (indicator 31) and demonstrating continuous improvement (indicator 32). This is the criterion that separates a binder of procedures from a living quality system: the auditor looks for real examples of problems that were fixed.

Why this architecture is not just red tape

The logic of the 7 criteria follows the life cycle of a training service: inform, design, deliver, resource, professionalise, stay anchored in your ecosystem, improve. This is not specific to Qualiopi: it is the classic mechanics of quality management systems, whose effects are documented. A study by Corbett, Montes-Sancho and Kirsch published in 2005 in Management Science showed, on a large sample of US companies, that those obtaining ISO 9000 certification significantly improved their financial performance compared with similar non-certified firms (study on Google Scholar). Approaching the 7 criteria as a management tool — not a constraint — is also the best way to pass the audit: on how the two approaches compare and combine, see our Qualiopi vs ISO 9001 comparison.

How to work criterion by criterion before the audit

In practice, effective preparation means sweeping the 7 criteria in order, listing for each applicable indicator the evidence you have and the evidence you lack — exactly the method of our self-assessment grid. Focus your effort on the indicators classified as major non-conformities (our article on the “super indicators” lists them), then physically organise your evidence file by criterion: that is the filing plan auditors naturally follow.

Take action

Rather than starting each of the 7 criteria from a blank page, build on proven documents. The Complete Kit Certif (€297, 14-day guarantee, documents in French) covers the 32 indicators with procedures, templates and evidence tables sorted by criterion. And if you are setting up your organisation, the ebook Créer son organisme de formation en 30 jours (€67) or the complete pack (€347) will save you several weeks.