{"id":80409,"date":"2026-06-01T00:02:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T04:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=80409"},"modified":"2026-06-01T00:02:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T04:02:34","slug":"should-we-rely-on-accreditations-and-rankings-to-assess-the-quality-of-an-institution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/should-we-rely-on-accreditations-and-rankings-to-assess-the-quality-of-an-institution\/","title":{"rendered":"Should we rely on accreditations and rankings to assess the quality of an institution?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span dir=\"auto\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-75157\" src=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/accreditationshakeup.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"698\" height=\"401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/accreditationshakeup.jpg 698w, https:\/\/world.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/accreditationshakeup-250x144.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px\" \/> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Every year, thousands of prospective students scour the websites of top schools and universities in search of the magic key: the right label, the right accreditation, the right ranking. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aacsb.edu\/accreditation\"><span dir=\"auto\">AACSB<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.efmd.org\/equis\"><span dir=\"auto\">EQUIS<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shanghairanking.com\/\"><span dir=\"auto\">the Shanghai Ranking<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeshighereducation.com\/world-university-rankings\"><span dir=\"auto\">Times Higher Education<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u2013 all these acronyms promise excellence. But what do they actually measure?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The answer is less reassuring than it seems. Accreditation is the official recognition that an institution complies with a set of predefined standards and procedures. Labeling, on the other hand, is the certification of conformity to quality criteria in specific areas (internationalization, professional integration, innovation, etc.).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">These systems therefore primarily assess compliance with rules, not the actual performance of the institution. This shift is not insignificant.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span dir=\"auto\">The &#8220;paradox of conformity&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Compliant and efficient: these two qualities are not synonymous. An institution can show mediocre results while strictly adhering to all the procedures of an accreditation or label \u2013 for example, at the university level, the \u201cHR Excellence in Research\u201d (\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amue.fr\/publications\/actualites\/details\/hrs4r-comprendre-et-obtenir-le-label-rh-europeen-1\"><span dir=\"auto\">HSR4R<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0) label of the European Commission which values \u200b\u200binstitutions that have signed the \u201cEuropean Charter for Researchers\u201d and the \u201cCode of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers\u201d, or the Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility Label\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/franceuniversites.fr\/actualite\/label-ddrs-un-levier-pour-mobiliser-les-universites-et-associer-les-territoires\/\"><span dir=\"auto\">DD&amp;RS<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0, launched in 2015 by a collective coordinated by France Universit\u00e9s and the Conference of Grandes \u00c9coles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Conversely, an innovative institution can deviate from required standards without necessarily offering lower quality education or an unsatisfactory societal impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Compliance would determine performance: this is the misleading shortcut that our research highlights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">What we call the &#8220;paradox of conformity&#8221; refers to this troubling phenomenon: the more labels and accreditations an institution accumulates, the less its actual performance \u2013 measured by student success, teaching quality or research impact \u2013\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freopp.org\/whitepapers\/college-accreditation-does-not-guarantee-good-student-outcomes\/\"><span dir=\"auto\">tends to improve<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">For example,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1472811714000494\"><span dir=\"auto\">AACSB-accredited institutions optimize their compliance, not necessarily their services to students and society<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0. According to a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s12115-011-9417-8.pdf\"><span dir=\"auto\">study of more than 2,300 students in twenty-four accredited business schools<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0, 45% of students surveyed reported no significant improvement in their key skills \u2013 critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing \u2013 during their first two years, and 36% after four years.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Risks of standardization and misuse<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">University rankings \u2013 whether it be the Shanghai Ranking, the Times Higher Education or the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.topuniversities.com\/qs-world-university-rankings\"><span dir=\"auto\">QS World University Rankings<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u2013 amplify this paradox by adding several specific risks, which we document in a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pubp.fr\/management\/5312-le-manager-public-face-aux-risques-9782383773085.html\"><span dir=\"auto\">recent scientific publication<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The first risk is that the rankings are often unfounded. These rankings rely on a limited number of indicators\u2014number of scientific publications, academic reputation, student-to-faculty ratio\u2014which mechanically favor large, well-funded Anglo-Saxon universities. French universities, primarily state-funded and regional in scope, are structurally penalized.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Paradoxically, many of them continue to use these rankings as a compass, even though they objectively have little chance in this competition. They find themselves running a race whose rules were written for others. The\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leru.org\/\"><span dir=\"auto\">League of European Research Universities<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0(LERU), which brings together the best European universities,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leru.org\/publications\/university-rankings-diversity-excellence-and-the-european-initiative\"><span dir=\"auto\">is clearly opposed to these rankings<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The second risk is standardization. By imposing the same criteria on all universities worldwide, these accreditations and rankings push institutions to become more similar, to the detriment of their unique characteristics. This phenomenon leads to the emergence of a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.fr\/books?hl=fr&amp;lr=&amp;id=sCdfZMxf8usC&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PA209&amp;dq=Ordorika+et+Lloyd+(2013)&amp;ots=aPxtH3olP1&amp;sig=k1W4-bJWER8UR_NY5p0pDbxkHU8\"><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;single ideal of a university&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0that corresponds to the reality of only a handful of global institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Local universities (numerous in France and around the world), committed to student success and regional development, have little interest in sacrificing their fundamental missions to climb a few places in a world ranking or obtain international accreditation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Third risk: deviations and misuse. When an indicator becomes a strategic objective, behaviors adapt to optimize it \u2013 not always ethically. Accreditation bodies offer consulting services to the institutions they evaluate, creating a clear conflict of interest.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Going beyond the appearance of performance?<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Behind the fa\u00e7ade of accreditations and rankings, the reality is often less rosy. National and international school and university assessments \u2013 such as the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/pisa\/\"><span dir=\"auto\">OECD&#8217;s PISA program<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0or the surveys of the High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hceres.fr\/fr\/evaluations\"><span dir=\"auto\">HCERES<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0) \u2013 suggest that the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tresor.economie.gouv.fr\/Articles\/2025\/12\/02\/la-performance-du-systeme-educatif-en-france-quels-enjeux-economiques\"><span dir=\"auto\">actual performance of pupils or students is stagnating<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s12115-011-9417-8.pdf\"><span dir=\"auto\">or even declining, in institutions that are nevertheless covered in distinctions<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aei.org\/research-products\/report\/rethinking-accreditation-in-higher-education\/\"><span dir=\"auto\">Accreditations produce an &#8220;appearance of performance&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0\u00a0: the institution seems successful because it complies, not because its students are making greater progress or its research is impacting society. This corresponds to a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/2778293\"><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;decoupling&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0between compliance and performance, often facilitated by the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2590291125004541\"><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;ceremonial&#8221; nature<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0of accreditations and rankings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">However, the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/shs.cairn.info\/article\/FORM_117_0089?tab=resume\"><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;institutional effect&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0on salaries upon graduation from university, or even from elite schools, is significantly reduced: it is primarily the individual profile of the student and the context of the job market that determine their integration. The reputation of the institution, built on rankings, accreditations, and labels, loses much of its significance at this level of analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Criticizing rankings or accreditations is not, however, the same as arguing against university evaluation. Quite the contrary: public organizations have a duty to be accountable to their stakeholders for their activities. Mechanisms such as the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hceres.fr\/\"><span dir=\"auto\">HCERES<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0, the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/anr.fr\/\"><span dir=\"auto\">ANR<\/span><\/a><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0, and institutional accreditations already contribute usefully to these evaluations. But a relevant evaluation should be specific to the objectives of each institution, and not uniformly applied to organizations of very different natures, sizes, and missions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The &#8220;paradox of conformity&#8221; described here is not limited to higher education. In many public organizations\u2014hospitals, high schools, colleges, government agencies, local authorities\u2014the proliferation of standards and accreditation or ranking procedures has become an end in itself, sometimes at the expense of the actual quality of service provided. The lesson is simple but essential: conformity does not necessarily equate to quality. Before choosing an institution\u2014or placing your trust in it\u2014it is worthwhile to look beyond the tree of accreditations and rankings to see the forest of reality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Author Bio:<\/strong> Laurent M\u00e9riade is Professor of Management Sciences &#8211; Associate Professor &#8211; IAE &#8211; CleRMa at Clermont Auvergne University (UCA)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, thousands of prospective students scour the websites of top schools and universities in search of the magic key: the right label, the right accreditation, the right ranking. AACSB\u00a0,\u00a0EQUIS\u00a0,\u00a0the Shanghai Ranking\u00a0,\u00a0Times Higher Education\u00a0\u2013 all these acronyms promise excellence. But what do they actually measure? The answer is less reassuring than it seems. Accreditation is [&hellip;]\n&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/should-we-rely-on-accreditations-and-rankings-to-assess-the-quality-of-an-institution\/\" class=\"more\">learn more&rarr;<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[12451],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-80409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-accreditation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Should we rely on accreditations and rankings to assess the quality of an institution? - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/should-we-rely-on-accreditations-and-rankings-to-assess-the-quality-of-an-institution\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should we rely on accreditations and rankings to assess the quality of an institution? - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every year, thousands of prospective students scour the websites of top schools and universities in search of the magic key: the right label, the right accreditation, the right ranking. 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AACSB\u00a0,\u00a0EQUIS\u00a0,\u00a0the Shanghai Ranking\u00a0,\u00a0Times Higher Education\u00a0\u2013 all these acronyms promise excellence. But what do they actually measure? The answer is less reassuring than it seems. 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