In 1993, the Coordination, Evaluation and Planning Organisation was established within the Ministry of Education or North Cyprus to oversee and coordinate the activities of newly established universities and provide licensing for new programs. In 2005, the Higher Education Planning, Evaluation, Accreditation and Coordination Council (YODAK) was established (Law No. 65/2005) and replaced the former Organisation as an independent body with increased responsibilities for accreditation and quality assurance.
All new higher education institutions and new programmes proposed by existing institutions must obtain permission from the Ministry of Education prior to being established. They must then apply to YODAK for licencing. YODAK assesses the documents submitted by the institution against set criteria, most of which is academic based. Any programme that is granted permission to teach is expected to be reviewed via a site visit within the first two years of operation.
YODAK is made up of the President, appointed by the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for a four-year renewable period, two board members elected by the Universities Academic Coordination Council and two further board members chosen by the National Parliament. All members are required to be professors.
YODAK is a full member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), an affiliate of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), full member of the Central and Eastern European Network for Quality Assurance (CEENQA) and a founding member of the Association of Quality Assurance Agencies in the Islamic World (AQAAIW).