Impact of Accreditation on the Quality of Academic Programs in a Private Higher Education Institution

The general objective of the study was to determine the predictors of quality of academic programs in a private higher education institution. This study was conducted in a non-sectarian private university in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. The study was participated by administrators, faculty, and staff. A descriptive correlational and causal research design was used to describe the data with the corresponding descriptive Statistics such as mean, Pearson – product moment correlation and multiple regression.. Accreditation is extremely important in pursuit of excellence. Best practices in accreditation are evident.   There is a high level of impact of accreditation in the institution. Accreditation visits are well managed, and the programs have very good quality. There is a significant relationship between the quality of the programs and: best practices in the preparation of PACUCOA accreditation, attitude towards accreditation, impact of accreditation, and management of accreditation visit. There is only one best predictor of program quality, attitude toward accreditation. Problems encountered during accreditation visits range from moderately serious to serious which have to be addressed by the administration.

Keywords: quality programs, attitude, accreditation, impact, best practices