Mataram, Universitas Mataram – Prof. Dr. Nasmi Herlina Sari, ST., MT. as the Secretary of the Universitas Mataram Quality Assurance and Educational Development Institute (LPM Unram) explained about the Accredited Campus Value for Students. According to him, accreditation is important to determine the feasibility of universities and study programs. This eligibility can be ensured by evaluating all significant factors offered by universities and study programs to ensure the standards set by SN-Dikti (National Standards for Higher Education), so that graduates meet the requirements to enter the workforce or continue their education.

“Many institutions continue to see accreditation as government oversight and control over universities. There are also universities that only see accreditation as a means to implement requirements. The Higher Education External Quality Assurance System (SPME) includes accreditation as one of its forms, and with the help of this accreditation, universities can motivate themselves more and take advantage of opportunities to improve higher education standards,” said Prof. Nasmi.

He said that accreditation is a “spirit” for state universities and private universities. According to the Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Unram, the quality of the lecturers who teach determines the quality of graduates and the accreditation of educational institutions and study programs. He was hoping that lecturers have an understanding of the study program at the university where they are protected, so that the quality of education in higher education will show a significant improvement and increase the accreditation of higher education.

“Lecturers cannot continue to perform under the old mentality of ‘work, not work’, ‘diligent, not diligent’ and still get paid,” he said.

“The National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (BAN-PT) and the Independent Accreditation Institute (LAM) are required to carry out accreditation procedures for educational institutions, and Permendikbud No. 2 of 2020 has governed this process. Study programs must also undergo this accreditation process, because accreditation is a requirement of universities and study programs,” he said.

The secretary of LPPM Unram also mentioned several reasons related to the importance of accreditation status and university rankings for students. First, accreditation is a reflection of the quality of education which is directly related to the process and assessment of the quality of education. A university with clear and good accreditation can certainly be recognized as having an undeniable quality of education.

Second, accreditation is required as a requirement to work in government agencies. Third, accreditation is not only required to operate in government agencies, but is also needed by private institutions, state-owned enterprises, and companies. This is because most of these companies want to keep their personnel high quality.

Fourth, students will be familiar with excellent educational standards. “Every student who studies at a good accredited university, of course, has a background with high educational standards. This is due to the fact that they must be competent and study in an excellent and relevant environment. So when they graduate, they can be considered ready to enter the world of work, “explained Prof. Nasmi.

Finally, students can compete with other college students. Universities that are qualified and accredited by BAN-PT or LAM certainly do not need to doubt the quality of their education, because their students have been prepared and trained to compete in the work environment and survive well in the environment where they work.

In addition, another advantage of accreditation is that universities can use their accreditation status or accreditation rating to reach prospective students.

“Student quantity is a key aspect for universities; the more students there are, the more visible the progress of the campus. On the other hand, if the tertiary institution is not accredited, then the higher education institution cannot organize the teaching and learning process, cannot accept new students, cannot graduate students, and even cannot hold graduation, as this has also been regulated in Law no. 12 of 2020, Permenristekdikti No. 100 of 2016, and Permendikbud No. 7 of 2020,” concluded Prof. Nasmi.