Abstract:

The article delves into the significant challenges and perspectives encountered while acquiring various types of international accreditations, which vary from field to field and agency to agency. Caucasus University's Internationalization Policy underscores global engagement, diversity, research collaboration, international mobility, and excellence in education and research. These pillars aim to cultivate a globally competitive and culturally diverse learning environment.

Internationalizing education globally entails driving transformative changes in higher educational institutions, enhancing their global presence, and fostering collaborations with diverse partners. International accreditation stands as a crucial element of internationalization, operating at both program and institutional levels. Over the past six years, Caucasus University has accumulated substantial experience in pursuing various international accreditations, each with its own set of standards and expectations. This journey has expanded its expertise significantly, positioning CU to share its experiences widely, particularly within the context of a small country paradigm. CU's journey underscores the importance of international accreditation in realizing the goals of institutional internationalization. However, it also highlights the diverse perspectives, challenges, and threats inherent in this process, shaping CU's approach and readiness to contribute to the broader discourse on internationalization in higher education.

The inspiration for this article arises from a question posed by our international partner: Why are we on this quest for international accreditations?

The article illustrates how institutions can gain a deeper understanding of themselves through the process of complying with international accreditation standards. It highlights areas for improvement and outlines the challenges that institutions encounter on this quest.

Keywords:

International accreditation, internationalization, impact.