Preparing Saudi Universities for International Accreditation in the Area of Governance and Leadership

Institutional accreditation in the last decades has been studies as an important assessment that ensures the quality of higher education institutions. The growth of the economy around the world has placed value on evaluating universities’ accountability and effectiveness. Therefore, one of the most significant current discussions in higher education institutions is obtaining international accreditation. Consequently, Saudi Arabia’s institutional accreditation system is seeking to improve higher education institutions’ quality assurance and accountability by preparing them for international accreditation. However, only 12 universities out of 34 have been accredited at the institutional level by the NCAAA. As a result, one of the major challenges facing Saudi institutions is their ability to meet accreditation standards concerning institutional effectiveness, governance, and leadership. Therefore, this quantitative study examined the extent to which Saudi universities prepare for international accreditation in the areas of governance and leadership. A comparison of accredited and non-accredited universities was done using a Mann-Whitney U test based on faculty and administrators’ perceptions of leadership and governance. The study concluded that Saudi universities are prepared to meet international institutional accreditation standards in the areas of governance and leadership. An effective strategy is needed to promote the accreditation process successfully