The national accreditation system in Colombia: experiences from the National Council of Accreditation (CNA)

This case study covers the structure and functioning of the Colombian National Accreditation system, in relation to the whole quality assurance system, but with particular reference to 'Accreditation of Excellence' of academic programmes. The first section is a broad introduction to the higher education system in general and the institutional affiliation of the mechanism within this system. The process of 'Accreditation of Excellence' is then presented through a detailed description of the methodology: self-study, peer visit, weighting and grading. The aim of the study is to present the introduction, implementation and functions of the accreditation system, together with the problems and lessons learned in the Colombian context.