Strategies for Maintaining Universitas Mulawarman’s Excellent Accreditation: Strengthening the Quality Portfolio through Strategic Plan Performance Evaluation, SWOT Analysis, and the Analytical Hierarchy Process

This article aims to evaluate Universitas Mulawarman’s performance achievements following the attainment of Excellent institutional accreditation, analyse the university’s strategic position in sustaining quality, and formulate strategic priorities for the 2026–2030 period. The study employs a descriptive-evaluative, document-based approach, drawing on performance documents, institutional accreditation records, and international literature published within the last five years on quality assurance, strategic management, digital transformation, and the internationalisation of higher education. The analysis comprises an evaluation of the institutional baseline, the preparation of the Internal Factor Analysis Summary (IFAS) and External Factor Analysis Summary (EFAS), the construction of a SWOT matrix, the determination of the university’s SWOT quadrant, and the application of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The findings indicate that Universitas Mulawarman has a strong foundation, reflected in its Excellent institutional accreditation, 112 study programmes, 76 study programmes rated Excellent or Very Good, 1,524 lecturers, 447 lecturers holding doctoral degrees, 93 professors, and an internationalisation base represented by seven ASIIN-accredited study programmes. The SWOT analysis positions the university in Quadrant I, while the AHP identifies data-driven quality-system strengthening, the protection of re-accreditation portfolios, human-resource development, and the selective expansion of internationalisation as the principal priorities. Strategies for maintaining Excellent accreditation must therefore be implemented through a measured, well-documented, and sustainable orchestration of institutional quality that remains responsive to changing standards, re-accreditation risks, stakeholder expectations, and the evolving dynamics of national and international higher education policy.