A New Term Begins at the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council

Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak Re-elected as President

The January Council Meeting of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC) was held with the participation of the 3rd term Council Members.

Held at the THEQC Meeting Hall on 22 January 2026, and presided over by THEQC President Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, the meeting was attended by Council Members Prof. Ramazan Bayındır, Prof. Ali Bilgin, Prof. Mustafa Sıtkı Bilgin, Prof. Elif Çepni, Prof. Hüseyin Ağır, Aşkın Tören, Gülden Banu Müderrisoğlu, Prof. Mesut Güner, Assoc. Prof. Murat Sarğın, Cengiz Delibaş, and Student Member Fatma Derya Arıkan.

At the meeting where Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak was elected as President for the second time, Prof. Ramazan Bayındır, Council Member and faculty member at Gazi University, Faculty of Technology, was elected as the Vice President of THEQC.

Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, THEQC President, stated that they are continuing evaluation and accreditation processes with increasing momentum to disseminate the quality assurance system in higher education institutions in Türkiye and make it a part of the institutional culture. Noting that THEQC will accelerate internationalization efforts in the new term, President Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak said that they aim to increase the visibility and effectiveness of Türkiye’s higher education quality assurance system through international collaborations and evaluation processes in this context.

Stating that another important focus of the new term will be the review of program accreditation activities, President Kocabıçak said: “The work of accreditation agencies authorised and recognised by THEQC will now be under closer scrutiny, as it holds a key feature for entry into the Turkish Qualifications Framework. THEQC will fulfil its duty to improve the activities and capacities of these agencies and increase their recognition.”

Expressing that THEQC finds opportunities to increase the reliability and visibility of quality assurance practices in Türkiye through collaborations and mutual recognition activities with global umbrella organisations in the field of higher education quality assurance, Prof. Kocabıçak pointed out that these efforts make a significant contribution to the international recognition and competitiveness of Turkish higher education institutions.