Quality Assurance in Private Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Chinese and UK Systems Through an Institutional Case Study

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.