Abstract

International accreditation has become an important reference point for quality assurance in higher education; however, its relevance depends on how global standards are interpreted and adapted to local institutional contexts. This study analyzes institutional stakeholders’ perceptions of an international accreditation process, with the aim of examining how global standardization interacts with local relevance in quality assurance. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 408 participants linked to a university degree program, including students, graduates, faculty members, administrative staff, and authorities. Data were collected using a 49-item questionnaire developed from the evaluation criteria of an international accreditation manual and adapted to the institutional context. Descriptive and nonparametric inferential statistics were applied. The results indicate: (a) an overall positive assessment of the quality model implemented; (b) comparatively higher ratings for management- and resource-oriented dimensions; (c) comparatively lower ratings for pedagogical dimensions; (d) no statistically significant differences across stakeholder profiles, suggesting a broadly shared interpretation of the accreditation process; and, (e) statistically significant but small gender differences, which should be interpretated cautiously. The findings suggest that international accreditation is perceived as contributing to transparency, comparability, and external recognition, although its value depends on the extent to which standardized frameworks remain sensitive to pedagogical and contextual realities.

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