Erasmus Policy Statement

(2021-2027)

Since COMU has been participating Erasmus programme activities since 2004-2005 academic year, being one of the first pilot university in Turkey, our institution has successfully implemented Erasmus+ Programs in order to enlarge its internationalisation aims and goals by modernizing its academic units thanks to its sustainable international academic collaborations. The most prominent our institutional values under its mission and vision shares common perspectives with “European Education Area” which underlines that everyone should be able to access high-quality education, irrespective of their socio-economic background.   

In order to contribute modernising our institutions, all academic units are aware of European Identity and assigned their Erasmus+ Departmental Coordinators to promote Erasmus+ programs within their students and arise sustainable Erasmus+ Inter Institutional agreements since 2008. By means of those experiences within academic units, they have the capability to arise the mobility numbers in terms of student and staff to be a part and strong contributor of European Education Area perspective.

From our institutional perspective, we are aware of value of European identity through education and culture. For this sense, our students are also stimulated with European Youth Projects under youth exchanges or European Voluntary projects since 2008. By doing so, our current and future students which belong to all cycles (1st, 2nd and 3rd) can be able to respond, reflect and share common European identity values by Interaction with other cultures, practicing their second language as having a strong sense of their identity as a European, of Europe’s cultural heritage and its diversity.

On the programme era between 2021-2027, our all departmental Erasmus+ Coordinators and their academic units have dynamic infrastructure to increase the number of mobilities including new types such as blended mobility, focusing on staff mobility to ensure the academic quality of the institution.

Our institution is also implementing Mevlana program which granted by Turkish Government within geographical, social varieties from different parts of the world  which is related with references to European Education Area’s policy; “everyone should be able to access high-quality education, irrespective of their socio-economic background”. This program has been increasing our incoming, outgoing mobilities in terms of student and academic staff.

Diploma supplement to graduates, well-organized course catalogue, full-recognition of academic success in Erasmus exchange mobility and ECTS credit system are the example of our well-structed of infra-structures during our 2014-2020 Erasmus+ period. Our institution has three cornerstone of Erasmus Digitalization tools. Our IT Centre, student affairs office and Erasmus Office have already organized in order to establish an innovative, organized digital recognition process with references to new programme period’s motto “no revolution but evolution” since 2016. By means of UBYS (University File Management System of our university), Erasmus Office is sending transcripts to the departments digitally, without paper and without any additional work for the student. Recognition confirmation of the department can also be sent to the Student Affairs in digital way. As a final action, Student Affairs updates the student transcripts digitally.

International Relations Office (IRO) of COMU has a bunch of sub-units which works together in a big open-office which gives us a physical advantage in sense of collaborative working style. Erasmus unit is one of those sub-units of IRO. With the help of dynamism of Erasmus Office members, which consist of 4 full-time staff aged between 30-37, our institution is ready to take the necessary steps for digitalization of programme. IRO Coordinator and Institutional Erasmus Coordinator of our university are International Relations PhDs and COMU pays attention to recruit right staff for the right place in the most possible correct way for the institutional quality.