The ISO 9001 certification impact on quality in higher education: misconceptions and realities

Abstract

While the majority of academic community firmly substantiates the advantages of ISO 9001 standard implementation in the universities, today there exist voices of skepticism concerning its efficacy. The purpose of this study is to discern and present empirical evidence that can shed light on these contrasting perspectives about the influence of ISO 9001 certification on university’s quality. Comparative and correspondence analysis of data collected from the Ukrainian universities websites and government open databases were applied for evaluation of ISO 9001 certification influence on the universities competitiveness and their applicants’ commitment. The most common misconceptions about ISO 9001 certification results and their rebuttals are summarized. The results of the study confirm that universities with certified quality management systems on the ISO 9001 standard do not deteriorate the indicator of applicants’ commitment if the implementation procedure is proper and responsible. Making decision on the application of the ISO 9001 standard to internal quality management system, its efficacy should be evaluated to specific goals that university intend to achieve.