A university-accreditation brand alliance occurs when the university forms an association A
university-accreditation brand alliance occurs when the university forms an association with
an accreditation agency; and uses the agency’s name or logo in the university’s promotional
materials, such as their website. Past research shows that brand alliance is a win/win strategy
for both brand partners. However, it is important to ascertain how the accreditation brand
alliance should be communicated by the university, in order to achieve a favorable response
amongst prospective students. This research examines the effect that a university’s message
strategy has on the university’s perceived quality and students’ application intention.