Private higher education now accounts for approximately 33% of global enrolment, yet comparative empirical research on quality assurance (QA) systems in this sector, particularly across contrasting governance regimes, remains limited. This study examines the operational logic and effectiveness of QA mechanisms in Chinese and UK private higher education through a comparative analysis grounded in primary case study data (China) and systematic secondary literature review (UK). Drawing on a single institutional case study of a Chinese private university with a 40-year history, the study analyses the 'Four Promotions' developmental QA philosophy and compares it systematically with the UK's market-driven accountability model. The findings reveal three principal patterns: (1) the Chinese model prioritises developmental assessment, employing government-led evaluation to drive institutional construction, reform, management, and quality strengthening; (2) the UK model prioritises accountability and consumer protection, but faces documented challenges in regulatory coherence and quality coverage across a highly heterogeneous private sector; and (3) both models exhibit convergence trends towards greater balance between developmental and accountability orientations. To interpret these patterns, this study constructs a Culturally Adaptive Quality Assurance Framework (CAQAF), which advances existing frameworks by operationalising cultural context as a set of analytically distinct, comparable dimensions. The CAQAF offers both a theoretical contribution to cross-cultural QA research and practical guidance for nations seeking to develop quality assurance systems that are globally connected yet locally grounded.
- Quality Assurance in Private Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Chinese and UK Systems Through an Institutional Case Study
- Yitong Liu - Weifang University of Science and TechnologyFayyaz Hussain Qureshi - University of Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Business School
- Education sciences, Vol.16(5), 714
- Mdpi
- 27
- KJRC2020012 / Research Start-up Funding Project for High-level Talents of Weifang University of Science and Technology 2024KJH156 / Youth Innovation and Technology Support Program of Shandong Provincial Higher Education Institutions
- The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
- 9976327708841; 2227-7102; 2227-7102; 2227-7102
- © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
- Greater Manchester Business School
- English
- Journal article
- 28/04/2026