THEQC is to Grant Institutional Accreditation Certificates to Six Universities

ANKARA – Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC) decided at the Council meeting in April that Başkent University, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, and Yıldız Technical University included in the Institutional Accreditation Program in 2021 are to be granted “Institutional Accreditation Certificate.”

At the meeting, the Council also decided to grant an “Institutional Accreditation Certificate” to Ankara University included in the Institutional Accreditation Program in 2020.

Giving information about the program, THEQC President Prof. Kar stated that THEQC expects quality assurance in Turkish higher education to contribute to Türkiye’s sustainable development and steady growth in a quality manner and noted that Institutional Accreditation Program is a significant step towards this goal. President Kar continued his words, “The Institutional Accreditation Program covers the external evaluation of Turkish universities based on pre-determined criteria in the fields of learning and teaching, research and development, service to society, and quality, leadership and governance. The universities that are determined to have met the criteria as a result of the evaluation are granted an Institutional Accreditation Certificate. Student Selection and Placement Centre’s (ÖSYM) Guide will also include the information that these universities have institutional accreditation for the benefit of students who will choose the universities they want to be placed in. Twenty-three universities have been included so far in the IAP carried out in 2020 and 2021. Institutional Accreditation Certificates were presented with a ceremony to the universities that successfully completed the evaluation process.”

President Kar congratulated the rectors of the universities, which will be granted Institutional Accreditation Certificates at THEQC Council’s meeting in April, and all of the stakeholders that have contributed to the process, and continued his words, ”Quality assurance in higher education is the guarantee universities give that they will fulfil their essential functions in compliance with stakeholders’ expectations and their goals based on accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement understanding. THEQC wishes that Turkish universities will internalize quality assurance through THEQC’s works to accelerate and expand quality assurance activities and diversify them with thematic studies. In this respect, the Institutional Accreditation Program (IAP) became compulsory for higher education institutions in Türkiye with an amendment to the regulation made last year. According to the regulation, all the universities must be included in the IAP until 2027. On the other hand, the call process for the universities included in the IAP in 2022 has been completed. This year, we will include 30 universities in the external evaluation process within the scope of the program. It is planned that this number will continue to increase in the next years.”