Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) has achieved yet another significant success with its consistent efforts in quality assurance and institutional development in education. As a result of the evaluation conducted within the framework of the Institutional Accreditation Program (KAP) run by the Higher Education Quality Council of Türkiye (YÖKAK), OMU has been granted “full accreditation” for a period of five years.

With its 50-year legacy, OMU is among Türkiye’s most established universities, continuing to contribute to scientific, cultural, and social fields while also aligning its quality assurance system with international standards. The institutional accreditation process includes comprehensive evaluations in areas such as education and training, research and development, societal contribution, and governance systems.

The Institutional Accreditation Program, implemented by YÖKAK to strengthen quality assurance in Türkiye’s higher education system, ensures that universities are externally evaluated in the areas of education, research, societal contribution, leadership-governance, and quality management. Within the scope of the program, higher education institutions undergo a multi-step evaluation process, including a preliminary visit, a site visit, and assessment against a total of 46 sub-criteria.

OMU Elevates Quality Management to an Institutional Level

As part of the process, OMU submitted its Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (KİDR), strategic plans, academic and administrative unit activity reports, and stakeholder analyses in a transparent and holistic manner to the evaluation team. During the site visit, meetings were held with university administration, quality commissions, academic and administrative staff, students, and external stakeholders. These interactions revealed that the university had successfully internalized a culture of quality management at the institutional level.

As a result of the comprehensive evaluations, OMU’s quality assurance system was found to be sufficient to receive “full accreditation.” Accordingly, the university has been awarded the Institutional Accreditation Certificate, valid for five years.

With this achievement, OMU has certified its quality-focused approach in higher education and solidified its place among the select universities in Türkiye that have received full accreditation for five years.

Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın: “This success is the result of our collective efforts”

Regarding the university’s recent success, OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın made the following statement:

“As Ondokuz Mayıs University, we take pride in successfully completing the Institutional Accreditation process. This certificate is a reflection of the quality mindset that has become embedded in our institutional culture and the harmonious efforts of all our stakeholders. We see quality not just as a goal, but as a continuously evolving and renewing process. We are determined to maintain our quality-focused approach in education, research, societal contribution, and governance. I extend my sincere thanks to our Quality Commission, academic and administrative staff, students, and all external stakeholders who contributed to this process.”

OMU to Further Strengthen Its Quality-Focused Higher Education Approach

With the accreditation it has received, OMU will further strengthen its quality-focused approach to higher education, continuing to take decisive steps to enhance student satisfaction, scientific productivity, and societal impact.

What is Institutional Accreditation? What Are Its Benefits?

Institutional accreditation is an external evaluation process in Türkiye’s higher education system that assesses whether universities achieve their set objectives in leadership-governance-quality, education, research-development, and societal contribution, and certifies the functionality of their quality assurance systems. This process is conducted by YÖKAK and evaluates institutions based on their institutional capacity, stakeholder participation, and transparency.

Institutional accreditation not only confirms the presence of quality systems, but also certifies that these systems are being effectively implemented and that a culture of continuous improvement is embedded within the institutional structure. Full accreditation demonstrates that a university meets all evaluation criteria at a high level and embraces a student-centered, accountable, and improvement-oriented management approach.

Universities that are awarded accreditation at the end of this process stand out as institutions that effectively incorporate student feedback into decision-making processes, update their curricula in line with contemporary needs, continuously enhance the competencies of their academic staff, and systematically carry out research and societal contribution activities.