In line with its strategic quality orientation and commitment to external quality evaluation, the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) hosted a site visit of an expert team from the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC) from December 15 to 18, 2025. This distinguished delegation of experts, with vast experience and expertise in higher education quality assurance, conducted a rigorous, four-day on-site assessment as part of THEQC International Institutional Accreditation Program (IIAP). The visit represents a strategic milestone for both educational excellence and international collaboration.
The evaluation team, including Prof. Dr. Ali Bayrakdaroğlu (President), Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Aydın, Dr. Fatoş Özkan Erciyas, Dr. Ferhat Ünal, Mr. Ömer Faruk Yıldız and student representative, Ms. Hilal Karaoğlan, meticulously assessed IUS’s governance, teaching, research, administrative capacity, and community service. The assessment was aligned with the IIAP criteria, which mirror global best practices in external accreditations in line with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG).
Over the course of four intensive days, the evaluators conducted interviews with the university’s management – including the President of the IUS Board of Trustees (BoT), Prof. Dr. Sevgi Kurtulmuş; the President of the Foundation for Education Development Sarajevo, Mr. Hasan Topaloğlu; other BoT members – Prof. Dr. Elif Nuroğlu, Emeritus Prof. Dr. Asif Šabanović, and Dr. Mehmet Akif Yaman – as well as IUS Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Osman Kuşakcı, vice-rectors, deans, and coordinators. They also engaged with faculty, administrative staff, students from all three cycles, alumni, and industry stakeholders, and visited classrooms, laboratories, the library, and the R&D center. This comprehensive review followed months of internal preparation led by the Strategic Development Office and senior management, ensuring readiness across all operational domains.
This accreditation effort is particularly noteworthy as the first cross-border institutional review within the THEQC IIAP framework.
“Achieving THEQC accreditation will significantly enhance IUS’s international profile, opening new opportunities for collaboration and student mobility. It reflects one of our strategic goals in the field of internationalization and reinforces our vision to become a globally recognized institution. We remain fully committed to quality and transparency and are confident that the evaluation will confirm IUS’s strong position as a leading academic center in the region,” said Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Osman Kuşakcı.
