[Introduction to North Cyprus]
North Cyprus Universities
[Complaints and Feedback page]
 | METU (Middle East Technical University, North Cyprus Campus) |
* See Complaints and feedback page * also June Homerfile EXTRA HOMER FILE
NCC METU/ODTU Kalkanli.
This university comes like a breath of fresh air to North Cyprus. Situated on a hill top above the run-down village of Kalkanli. The parent campus in Ankara is renowned for quality education in the Middle East and beyond and is one of the few Turkish universities that can honestly claim to provide students with an international or European standard of education.
METU along with several other Turkish universities were approached some years ago and asked to open a campus in North Cyprus but declined the offer. Further representations were made and METU finally took the bait. The universities loses are covered for the initial five years but after that the NCC METU will be expected to pay its own way.
The rector is like a rector should be, cultured, well mannered, highly articulate and well educated and he speaks perfect English! The staff group employed at NCC-METU are of the same high caliber. Most courses, if not all are taught in English and special emphasis has been given to this by providing students with a high quality English preparatory programme; nothing like the ‘Mickey Mouse’ affairs present elsewhere on the island.
This campus, although it has its own rector, appears to operate under the control of METU Ankara, and you can be pretty sure the boys in uniform have got a say in matters somewhere along the way. That is why the place looks and feels professional as there is none of the interference from local politicians, businessmen, plumbers merchants etc., marring the progress of some of the other establishments on the island, and please please METU make sure that it stays that way.
It is too early to gauge the success rate of any department at this university. You can bet we will see nothing like the 99.9% passes given at other universities featured on this website. A pass grade here will be earned honestly and will mean something to both the student and any future prospective employer. To further highlight their own high standards, perhaps METU would be brave enough to be the first university on the island to subscribe to one of the international standard ‘anti-plagiarism’ checking services –standard practice among all UK and USA universities now- which would weed out all those copied course essays/work, MSc theses and PhD papers. Now that would really get some people panicking in the TRNC, and not just the students!
One thing that has been pointed out to us is the apparent lack of extra curricular activities offered to the students, and more than a little worrying, the absence of a student support service. We are confident such services will be provided, but we hope this will be sooner rather than later and that those responsible for providing those services will be competent and professionally qualified. Horrifying as it might seem, the support services provided at one university were until quite recently given by a person who had a highly questionable degree in Criminology!
Catering services are described as excellent with a good choice of meals at very reasonable prices. The main canteen is spotlessly clean and modern and the service excellent.
The website of NNC-METU is clear and concise, no bells and whistles, no hype or outright lies –or FALSE claims of collaboration agreements with foreign universities to attract foreign students- just the plan simple facts. Quality like we appear to have here has no need for embellishments or exaggerations.
We are unable to comment on student accommodation on campus as we have not seen it. Accommodation in the surrounding area is likely to be scarce, of poor quality and expensive, with much of it already taken up by those poor blighters at EUL/LAU.
If this is the future of education in North Cyprus then it is indeed a bright future. Perhaps however its better put another way. Where METU leads others will stagger along behind.
METU has to be the number one choice for any student wishing to study on the island with EMU coming a close second.
There is as yet no campus bus service to the main resort town of Girne. We understand that a bus service is planed for this year which is just as well because it’s a long way to walk to anywhere from the campus.
Translated from original German document. 27/2/06