Prestige as an antagonist: a dangerous paradox in the loss of accreditation of university programs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71112/ghtrwd12Keywords:
accreditation, Higher Education Governance, educational quality, institutional Prestige, continuous improvement, self-evaluationAbstract
Accreditation of university degree programs is a key mechanism for demonstrating the quality of higher education through compliance with academic, teaching, curricular, and institutional standards. However, the prestige associated with accreditation may give rise to a paradox in which institutional success becomes a source of complacency, ultimately contributing to the gradual erosion of educational quality. This article examines the risk of overconfidence among accredited degree programs within the higher education system through a documentary, analytical, and reflective approach. The analysis identifies a post-accreditation cycle of complacency characterized by an illusion of invulnerability, resistance to innovation, and the weakening of institutional self-evaluation. It argues that the loss of accreditation may emerge from the cumulative effects of neglected improvements, defensive institutional practices, and insufficient updating of academic and organizational processes. The article concludes that accreditation should be understood not as a permanent achievement, but as a starting point for sustained continuous improvement. This requires fostering an institutional culture grounded in critical self-reflection, ongoing learning, systematic evaluation, and a sustained commitment to educational quality.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Carmen Monserrat Desgarennes Alcalá, Guadalupe Ramírez Vázquez, Angélica del Carmen García Bravo, Melissa Magdalena Díaz Montalvo, Víctor de Jesús Estrada Ramírez (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
