EUL becomes first in North Cyprus to receive institutional accreditation

 

The six-year accreditation, valid until 2032, was awarded by the Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes (AQAS), which assesses universities against internationally recognised quality assurance standards.

AQAS is a member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and is registered with the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).

Unlike accreditation of individual degree programmes, institutional accreditation evaluates quality assurance across an entire university, including teaching, management, academic development and administrative procedures.

The assessment involved document reviews, online meetings and an on-site inspection by international experts, who met university staff, students and other stakeholders.

EUL Board of Trustees Chairman Enver Öztürk described the achievement as the result of years of coordinated work.

"Becoming the first university in the TRNC to receive institutional accreditation is a particular source of pride for us," he said.

Rector Prof Dr Mehmet Ali Yükselen said the accreditation marked an important step towards strengthening educational quality and international recognition.

"We see international visibility and a strong, sustainable culture of quality as complementary goals," he said.

Founded in 1990, EUL already holds 32 programme accreditations and, according to the university, is ranked in the 901–950 band in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and the 601–650 band in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027.

The AQAS accreditation provides independent international recognition of EUL's institutional quality assurance systems, although it does not automatically guarantee recognition of individual degrees in every country.