Introduction:

Incorporation of ISO standards into university management represents a more efficient use of human and financial resources and the satisfaction of society, since services are received that meet expectations. The success of any institutional accreditation process depends on control work, so academic auditing becomes a tool for managing such components.

Objective:

To reflect on the role of academic auditing as a tool for evaluating quality in institutional accreditation processes.

Methods:

The scientific method was used, supported by document analysis of the results from research carried out by different authors about academic auditing, and quality in the processes of training and institutional accreditation. Systematization and triangulation of sources were combined to operationalize a definition for academic auditing in quality management towards institutional accreditation processes.

Results:

Academic auditing was proposed to be included as an effective tool in the control of processes, since it provides information for the university to improve performance.

Conclusions:

Institutional accreditation, as a process, starts from the development of self-assessment and external assessment; therefore, academic auditing can contribute to the evaluation of these requirements from a systemic perspective.