CoHE's Comprehensive Survey for Students
February 25, 2025
The Council of Higher Education conducted a comprehensive survey for students. Between June 10 and October 21, 2024, the Turkish University Experience Survey (TÜDA) was conducted online with the participation of 264,344 students from 205 universities with 360 questions in 15 thematic areas.
Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education, shared the results of the survey with the public. Stating that they evaluated the factors affecting students' university experience, Özvar said, “TÜDA, which can be described as the voice of our students and their participation in new policy making, provides a strategic vision for the transformation of our higher education system and supports continuity and development-oriented policies ranging from education to research, from internationalization to social inclusion. This study draws attention as a model that meets today's needs and offers solutions for the future.”
He emphasized that the 21st century's rapidly developing technological innovations and digital transformation processes necessitated the restructuring of the higher education system and a more effective organizational structure. Özvar continued as follows: “As the Council of Higher Education, with an understanding that supports innovative approaches, we are focusing on the goals of excellence in education, innovation in research and internationalization. In this context, TÜDA is a pioneering visionary research developed by the Council of Higher Education. It analyzes the current status and capacity of our higher education system in a data-driven and comprehensive perspective, and allows us to identify areas of improvement for the future.”
Özvar noted that the comprehensive data obtained by TÜDA provides predictions and policy recommendations that will increase the academic capacity of universities, and stated that they aim to increase the quality of higher education institutions and raise the standards of education and training higher with an understanding based on student satisfaction and taking their expectations into account. He pointed out that universities have strengths as well as potential areas for improvement and emphasized that their goal is to preserve the strengths of universities and to improve the areas that are open to improvement.
-Striking results from the survey
TÜDA was conducted between June 10 and October 21, 2024 with the participation of 264,344 students from 205 universities across Türkiye.
TÜDA stands out as a strategic tool for shaping higher education policies based on student needs and expectations. It provides an important reference for the Council of Higher Education and university administrations to develop transparent and inclusive policies by centering student opinions in decision-making processes. This student-oriented approach, which aims to ensure student participation, is intended to increase inclusiveness in education and contribute to universities reaching a stronger position in Türkiye's science and education ecosystem.
In the survey, students were asked 360 questions in 15 thematic areas, including quality of education, academic staff, administrative staff, research and projects, digitalization and AI, internationalization, health, life satisfaction, social and cultural activities, access, participation and inclusion, library and e-resources, campus facilities, career goals, future expectations and habits.
According to the survey results, 72 percent of students are satisfied with their universities and 64 percent recommend their universities to their acquaintances.
Students want to improve their foreign language skills the most with 72 percent to achieve their future goals. This is followed by communication skills with 47 percent and technical skills with 39 percent.
Forty percent of students plan to pursue a master's degree or doctorate in the future. Thirty-four percent want to work in the public sector, 31 percent in the private sector, and 23 percent are considering entrepreneurship or starting their own business.
According to the survey results, students use the Internet mostly for social media with 71 percent. This is followed by education with 42 percent, research with 39 percent, shopping with 34 percent, watching videos with 31 percent, listening to music with 18 percent and gaming with 13 percent.
According to the survey results, 83 percent of students use artificial intelligence tools while doing their homework. 81 percent think that artificial intelligence facilitates education. 75 percent state that the use of artificial intelligence tools in education should be encouraged. While 74 percent of students state that artificial intelligence will increase their productivity in the education process, 73 percent want more use of artificial intelligence technologies to be encouraged in universities.
According to the results of the survey on the physical conditions and diversity of sports fields at universities, 59 percent of students think that the physical conditions of sports fields at their universities are sufficient. 58 percent state that their university offers sufficient facilities and facilities for sports and physical activities. While 52 percent of students think that the diversity of sports fields at their university is sufficient, 47 percent state that the variety of equipment offered in sports fields at universities is sufficient.
You can access the TÜDA Research Report from the link below:
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