ENQA Commends THEQC: Türkiye Cited as a Role Model in Student Involvement

In the 2025 thematic analysis report titled “Stakeholder Involvement in Quality Assurance” published by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), the work carried out by the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC) and Türkiye was mentioned with appreciation as a good practice example. The report highlighted THEQC’s success, especially in the areas of student involvement, methodological design and international experts.

ENQA’s report, published on 17 December 2025, states that THEQC’s commitment to involving students in quality assurance processes is ‘commendable’. In the report, it is mentioned that the Student Commission established within the Council has enabled students to become not only a part of the processes but also advocates for their rights in HEIs and representatives of the quality culture. The report emphasises that THEQC supports the establishment of students’ quality societies and clubs in universities across Türkiye, and that this support is considered as a ‘cultural transformation’ move that enables students to play an active role in their own institutions.

Another noteworthy highlight of the report is the diversity within THEQC’s governance and advisory structures. The report appreciates the Council’s work with international advisers from different academic backgrounds in areas such as internal quality assurance and strategic planning, noting that the inclusion of international advisers from different regions of the world, such as Germany and Slovenia, in THEQC’s work has enabled the agency to develop a perspective in line with global standards. Collaboration with chambers of commerce and other professional bodies in the selection of professionals and sector representatives is also presented in the report as a successful method that ‘increases the power of representation’.

In another section of the report, THEQC is cited as an exemplary model for its institutional structure that systematically incorporates stakeholder views into the design of external quality assurance methodologies. The Council’s methodology development and update processes ensure the systematic collection of stakeholder inputs from the design phase onwards, allowing quality processes to be embraced by all stakeholders, including public authorities, students, and the business world.

Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, THEQC President, pointed out that the ENQA report identifies the strong bond of trust THEQC has established with all its stakeholders, along with its inclusive working model, as a success factor for the higher education ecosystem. President Kocabıçak stated that the report makes it clear that Türkiye is not merely a country that implements quality assurance standards in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA); rather, its position as one of the leading countries shaping the development of these standards has been reinforced.

Click to read the ENQA Thematic Analysis on Stakeholder Involvement in Quality Assurance.