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Jagpreet
30 August, 2024
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“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest – Benjamin Franklin”
Accreditations and rankings serve as quality assurance standards for selecting a higher education institute. They also reflect on an institution’s commitment to maintaining high standards, and through these standards, stakeholders and students will be able to make informed decisions. It will act as a benchmark for retaining prospective candidates.
This decision holds great importance as it can make or break your career. Choosing the right university has its intricacies, starting from industry-relevant curriculum and practices, modern pedagogy, and much more. If you are looking to enrol in higher education and wondering what ranking and accreditations are, then you are at the right place, as accreditations and rankings play a crucial role in determining the quality and standard of the university.
Through this blog, you will gain insights into accreditations and rankings of universities and institutions. You will also understand their importance along with the reason for considering them while selecting the university. Join us as we unveil the relevance of accreditation and rankings in this globalised education world.
Accreditations act as the standard for ensuring quality education and academic standards. It also helps maintain an institute’s credibility. These are specific bodies that evaluate the institute on particular parameters. These parameters majorly consist of the teaching process, current curriculum, teaching resources, infrastructure, and faculty. Once the parameters are met, the governing body confers the accreditation upon the institute. Government bodies assess the institutes regularly, as this is a continuous process, meaning that institutes must maintain the standards at all times.
We also need to understand that there are three kinds of accreditations in India granted by UGC. UGC categorises the universities into three categories based on their NAAC score. Universities which score above 3.51 are granted Category I, those that score between 3.26 and 3.50 are granted Category II and those that score below 3.26 fall into Category III.
Category I universities are granted higher autonomy than those under Category II or III. Institutes awarded the highest score have the autonomy to begin their ODL courses, whereas category II and III universities have to undergo a screening process.
There are broadly three varieties of accreditation. Three varieties are International accreditation, course based accreditation and institutional accreditation. Let’s also understand them in detail:
International accreditation is conferred by the international bodies to the institutes. These standards help institutes maintain global standards and attract students from all over the world. It helps in improving the global presence of the institute. It can also play a huge role in retaining the top students and top faculties. Some of the international bodies are the Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC) and the International Organisation for Standardisation.
This accreditation ensures the quality of a specific programme offered by the university. Programme accreditation sets a benchmark for the courses that must be mandatorily met. It determines the quality and relevance of the curriculum. These bodies help shape the curriculum to be more industry-centric. Some of these bodies are the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Bar Council of India (BCI), and the Medical Council of India (MCI).
This one, as the name suggests, grants accreditation to institutions/universities as a whole unit. The universities are graded on their overall performance. Some of the benefits of institutional accreditation are an improvement in enrolment rate, better employability, skilled graduates, and much more. It can also help you analyse the value of the programme along with the value of the institution. Some of the major institutional accreditation bodies are the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA). The Distance Education Bureau (DEB) is another authority that assesses the standards of distance and open learning in India.
There are different types of educational accreditations in India. Let us have a look at some of the top accreditation one by one:
NAAC: The National Assessment and Accreditation Council assesses higher educational institutions such as colleges and universities or other institutions in order to check the quality of the curriculum, teaching process, faculty, governance, and teaching resources. The allocation is approved in the form of grades such as A++, A+ and even down to D grade based on the university’s level of performance.
NBA: The National Board of Accreditation assesses all the technical programs which include engineering & management UG, PG and diploma courses offered by the universities and institutions. The evaluated programs get approval in the form of grades namely: ‘6 years accreditation’, ‘3 years accreditation’ and ‘not accredited’.
AICTE: It is the All India Council for Technical Education which assesses and regulates the technical and management universities in India. It is responsible for the planning and development of UG and PG courses in technical and management domains. It also has the authority to grant approval to new technical and management institutions introducing new courses, etc.
AIU: It is the Association of Indian Universities. It assesses the programs, standards, and syllabi of foreign universities and equates them in relation to various programmes offered by Indian universities.
DEB: It is the Distance Education Bureau which is a part of the UGC. It assesses and maintains the standards of distance and open learning in India. It also ensures the smooth functioning of distance education in India.
Other than these, there are many other institutions that provide accreditations in India in specific fields of study. They are Bar Council of India (BCI), Dental Council of India (DCI), All India Management Association (AIMA), to name a few.
Universities can do a SWOT analysis, which helps them identify their unique points.
Students and Employers can rely on the credibility of the accreditations.
Prospective candidates can look for quality education and can rely on this information to make a sound decision.
Universities are motivated to improve their performance as they can apply for re-assessment.
Related: The Role of Accreditation in Online MBA Programmes
Rankings are another criterion for determining the quality of education. Rankings are generated on a yearly basis by the authorities from the database collected from the universities. The university is evaluated in totality, and the evaluation is based on the well-researched data. This data is voluntarily submitted by the institutes as it increases their credibility. The data collected consists of placements, student-to-staff ratio, and teaching quality.
One of the most prestigious ranking systems in India is the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The Ministry of Education releases these rankings each year, and they broadly cover parameters like teaching, learning, and resources; research and professional practices; graduation outcome; outreach; inclusivity; and perception. There are some other notable ranking systems, like QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education.
Some other major ranking systems include:
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
Academic Ranking of World Universities
A candidate gives a lot of consideration to the ranking of the institute. Good ranking can significantly push student enrolment.
The ranking is also a clear indicator of the weak areas of an institute, which acts as feedback.
Opportunity to leverage the ranking and quality education in the global scenario and provide better opportunities to the students.
Accountability of the universities towards the public as the reports are available to all.
University accreditations and rankings are important tools for ensuring the quality of an institute. It is pertinent that you consider both while choosing a university for higher education. While giving a lot of importance to accreditations as they ensure quality and efficacy, at the same time, they also evaluate the ranking of tools for assessment. When assessing, also check whether they align with future employability goals or not. You can use these two indicators to make a comparative analysis for your research.
In the vast sea of universities, accreditations and rankings can play a huge role in narrowing down a list for you. By focussing on these tools, you can evaluate your top choices and eliminate those that do not align with your career goals. While accreditation provides a certain quality of education, ranking gives you a tool for comparative analysis. However, doing so can become overwhelming sometimes, but don’t forget that your higher education will be the best investment you will make.
