Within the framework of the Institutional Accreditation Program (KAP) implemented by the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) to enhance the quality and ensure quality assurance in higher education institutions, Afyon Kocatepe University (AKÜ) has been awarded a 5-year accreditation.
In line with the Institutional Accreditation Program, which aims to increase the national contributions and global visibility of universities in Turkey, AKÜ has received full accreditation (5 years). The Institutional Accreditation Program ensures that the quality assurance, education, research and development, social contribution, and management system processes of universities are evaluated within the framework of the “planning, implementation, control and taking measures” cycle.
Accreditation Certificate Presented to Rector Prof. Dr. Karakaş
A program was organized at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University for universities accredited under the HEQC’s 2023 Institutional Accreditation Program. AKÜ’s 5-year accreditation certificate was presented to AKÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karakaş by HEQC President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar and HEQC President Prof. Dr. Ümit Kocabıçak. Following the program, Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karakaş stated that accreditation was among AKÜ’s primary goals and expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to this achievement.
Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karakaş:
“When we took office, we did not have any accredited programs. After taking office, we first initiated the program accreditation process within this scope. We have ensured that 9 of our undergraduate programs have been accredited by authorized organizations to date. We have also accelerated our institutional accreditation efforts. In the first term of our rectorship, we made improvements to the quality assurance, education-teaching, research and development, social contribution and management system processes at our University. As AKÜ, we aimed to become a fully accredited university. Last year, we decided that our preparations were largely complete and applied for the Institutional Accreditation Program. Within this scope, our application was accepted. The KAP Evaluation Team, which included academic, administrative and student evaluators, first conducted online meetings and then paid a 5-day field visit to our university. The process went as expected and we achieved this today. The work of effectively implementing our priority policies was decisive in achieving this success. I would like to thank all members of the AKÜ family who have contributed to this work, from our managers who have worked selflessly, to all our academic and administrative staff, as well as our valuable students and stakeholders. Full accreditation is very important for universities. In the YKS Higher Education Programs and Quotas Guide prepared by ÖSYM, it is stated that HEQC grants institutional accreditation to universities that receive full accreditation, which contributes to the visibility and preference of fully accredited universities.”
Karakaş also added that the Institutional Accreditation Program, which ensures the evaluation of the quality assurance, education-teaching, research-development, social contribution and management system processes of universities, aims to increase the national contributions and global visibility of universities in Turkey.
What is the Institutional Accreditation Program?
The Institutional Accreditation Program is carried out by evaluation teams established by HEQC within the framework of the Institutional External Evaluation and Accreditation Criteria and the Institutional External Evaluation and Accreditation Guide. These evaluation teams pay two visits (pre-visit and field visit) to the relevant higher education institutions. Following these visits, Institutional Accreditation Reports (KAR) are prepared by the evaluation teams. In this report, universities are evaluated based on 14 criteria and 46 sub-criteria under the headings of “Leadership, Governance and Quality, Education and Teaching, Research and Development, Social Contribution”. The “Institutional Accreditation Report” prepared by the evaluation team is sent to HEQC, these reports are re-evaluated by the experts in HEQC, and taking all these into account, HEQC makes a decision on accreditation. The maturity level of the quality assurance system in the institutions is evaluated by the Board, and universities are granted “full accreditation” for 5 years or “conditional accreditation” for 2 years.
