The purpose of this study is to find out if the accreditation performance of Indian universities accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2025 (Phase II) replicates the learning curve effect that was seen in the case of Indian universities accredited in 2023 (Phase I).
For Phase I, all 319 and for Phase II, all 419 NAAC-accredited universities constituted the study size. The accreditation scores were analyzed using ANOVA. Accreditation cycles 1–4 were used as the qualitative predictor variables, and the corresponding quantitative accreditation scores served as the dependent variable. Results of Phase II were compared with those of Phase I. To gain qualitative insights, interviews were conducted with ten experts.
The analysis reveals that Phase II results replicate the classical learning curve theory observed in Phase I. The qualitative findings are discussed in detail.
Based on the learning curve concept, this paper presents a unique case of replication of accreditation performance over time. The replication results confirm that accreditation performance reflects the properties of a learning curve.
