As one of these measures, YÖK has been encouraging private universities to lower their tuition costs for foreign students and has requested that state universities consider boosting admissions of foreign students. YÖK also has tentative plans to make changes to the Foreign Student Exam (YÖS), an exam foreign students must score well on to gain admittance to Turkish universities and which many have said is too difficult.
YÖK noted that tuition at Bulgarian institutions of higher education have fallen to around $2,600 per year. “In around 10 years, we may lose all of our competitiveness. We must work hard to secure a share in the higher education market,” said Yusuf Ziya Özcan, the head of YÖK.
There were 16,829 foreign students studying at Turkish universities in the 2007-2008 academic year. However, the majority of these students came from the Turkic republics and other closely related communities under the Great Student Project, which provides scholarships for them.
Opportunities to study abroad have been luring Turkish students to foreign countries. Due to high tuition costs at Turkey’s private universities, quotas on the Student Selection Examination (ÖSS) and other problems, an increasing number of Turkish students are choosing to pursue a university degree in countries where higher education is cheaper than in Turkey. Universities in Bulgaria, which became an EU member state in 2007, are among the most preferred universities by Turkish students. A lower likelihood of problems concerning diploma acceptance by YÖK and lower tuition further increase the attractiveness of Bulgarian universities.
According to companies that provide consultancy services for education abroad, approximately 5,000 Turkish students are enrolled in Bulgarian universities. “In Bulgaria, tuition has decreased to $2,600 per year. Possessing a high school diploma allows one to register with an engineering department there. The cost of living is lower than in Turkey. A four-year university degree can be completed with a small amount of money. In other words, this represents fierce competition for us. We have noticed this and held a meeting with the chairmen of the boards of trustees of private universities. ‘Beware of these developments. We may lose our competitive edge over universities abroad in five to 10 years,’ we told them, asking them to develop an action plan to attract foreign students to Turkish universities. After receiving their proposals, we will decide on an appropriate course of action,” Özcan said.
Changes to YÖS
To attend a Turkish university, foreign students are required to pass the YÖS. Özcan noted that the YÖS is a difficult exam. “In order to attract foreign students, we need to do something about it. We are in a tough position,” he said, hinting at the possibility of YÖK changing the exam.
He indicated that the number of foreign students is declining and, referring to the time when he worked as a lecturer at the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), before being appointed head of YÖK. “Twenty years ago, there were many students from North Africa and the Middle Eastern countries at ODTÜ. Currently, there are some students from European countries, but their numbers are not high.”
He suggested that state universities seek ways to attract foreign students. “We, too, should take our share from the market. Why should we remain as we are? Our universities offer a quality education and can compete with foreign universities in terms of academic success. We need to attract foreign students and open up our programs to them,” he said. Özcan also complained about high tuition prices advertised by private universities in Turkey. “Some private universities demand YTL 30,000 in tuition. I think these high prices will be lowered due to competition among private universities,” he said.
Top 10 countries sending students to Turkish universities
There are 16,829 students from over 100 countries attending Turkish universities. Of these students, 11,334 come primarily from the following 10 countries:
KKTC 2,337
Azerbaijan 1,953
Turkmenistan 1,507
Bulgaria 1,178
Iran 906
Greece 875
Mongolia 815
Kazakhstan 681
Kyrgyzstan 549
Albania 533
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