A qualitative exploration of motivations and challenges for implementing US accreditation in three Canadian universities

The adoption of US accreditation by non-US universities is one of the most salient manifestations of the internationalization of quality assurance in higher education. This process has been conceptualized as an exercise of global position taking by which institutions with limited financial and symbolic resources become associated with more prestigious institutions across national borders by sharing a common accreditation. However, the adoption of US accreditation has yet to be studied among institutions in well-positioned higher education systems. This study explored perceptions and experiences associated with the adoption of US institutional accreditation in three Canadian universities. The study reveals that several features of US higher education reflected in the accreditation standards, for example, general education, pose challenges for Canadian universities seeking US recognition. In addition, increased workload, resulting from the accreditation demands, became a source of disagreement between academics and administrators. This study provides grounded insights about the implementation of US accreditation beyond its geographic boundaries.