YÖDAK conducts audits at 23 universities in north Cyprus; Over 15,000 students reported as passive

Higher Education Supervision and Accreditation Board (YÖDAK) President Prof. Dr. Turgay Avcı Hoca announced that the institution has completed audits at 23 universities in north Cyprus and reported that over fifteen thousand students are passive.

Responding to a question in Parliament, Hoca explained the criteria for classifying a student as “passive.” Students who fail to register for two consecutive semesters and do not renew their enrollment by the sixth week of the third semester are considered passive. According to data provided by universities, the primary reasons for students falling into passive status are “financial difficulties and academic failure.”

Hoca emphasized that, under the Higher Education Law, YÖDAK is not responsible for determining how students enter the country or their accommodation arrangements. He noted that the “International Students Registration and Admission Regulation,” approved by the Council of Ministers in August, has clarified the criteria governing these procedures.

ENQA Membership Approved Until 2030

Recalling that YÖDAK’s membership in the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) had previously been suspended due to objections raised by the Greek Cypriot administration, Hoca stated that strengthened oversight, the implementation of the new regulation, and improvements in recordkeeping led to positive feedback from Brussels one month ago. He announced that YÖDAK’s ENQA membership has now been officially approved until 2030.

Özuslu: Why Did 15,000 Students Become Passive?

Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Sami Özuslu took the floor during discussions on YÖDAK’s budget, highlighting concerns regarding passive students. Citing current data, Özuslu noted that there are 15,000 passive students in the country and asked, “Why did these 15,000 students become passive?”

He pointed out that the number stood at around 30,000 two years ago and welcomed the decline, while stressing that unanswered questions remain. Özuslu raised concerns about whether human trafficking through certain universities is still occurring and stated that Parliament has been unable to access YÖDAK’s audit report due to confidentiality restrictions.