Accreditation serves as a key instrument for higher education institutions to assess institutional quality, enhance the standard of educational services, and obtain formal recognition from relevant authorities. Through accreditation, employers gain an important reference for recruiting graduates based on the quality of their educational background. Likewise, the general public relies on accreditation status as an indicator of the quality of higher education institutions they plan to attend.

More than three decades after the accreditation policy was first introduced, the distribution of accreditation outcomes across higher education institutions in Indonesia remains uneven. This Policy Brief aims to provide a clearer picture of the current situation and key challenges related to disparities in accreditation quality, as well as to outline strategic considerations for policymakers moving forward.

The analysis presented in this Policy Brief is based on a literature review and a series of in-depth interviews with internal quality assurance managers from higher education institutions across both Western and Eastern regions of Indonesia, including public and private institutions. These findings highlight structural, institutional, and policy-related factors that contribute to persistent inequalities in accreditation outcomes.

Disclaimer
This Policy Brief reflects the analytical perspectives of researchers from Center for Education and Policy Studies (PSPK), based on their direct involvement in research examining higher education accreditation in Indonesia. The document may be cited, disseminated, and used for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution.