Several years ago, students in Central America rarely leave their countries to find work elsewhere. Such is the case of Sebastian Pinto who felt that his degree would not mean much beyond Guatemala, his country. But now, universities in Central American have started to offer regionally accredited degrees that would allow students' credentials to be acknowledged in other countries. These developments were caused by a grass-roots push among educators across Central America to create a regional accreditation system. Their goal is to improve the quality of higher education and bring university programs more in line with other parts of Latin America. The movement is also driven by the rapid growth of private universities in Central America, many of questionable quality, along with the need for graduates to compete in a global economy. This article takes a look at how universities across Central America strive to implement accreditation projects and improve their educational programs.