Purpose - The purpose of this research is to describe and assess the legal requirements for transparency in appointments and promotions in the higher-education institutions of Sweden. Design/methodology/approach - The study uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore legal documents, analyse data, and conduct interviews with leading executives in Swedish higher-education institutions and administrative bodies. Findings - Transparency is shown to exist at all stages of documentation and decision-making procedures. In particular, appeals to the Board of Appeal are rarely approved. Research limitations/implications - The findings might not be applicable to public sectors in other countries. There is potential for further research to explore transparency in similar procedures in other comparable countries. Practical implications - Quality assurance and quality control with respect to appointments and promotions in higher-education institutions might be enhanced by legal requirements for transparency of documentation and decision-making procedures. Originality/value - The study provides original research into the administration of part of the Swedish public service and suggests that this might be seen as a potential benchmark for quality assurance and quality control with respect to public access to documentation and decision-making procedures.