August 26, 2025

The claim circulating on social media that “ÖSYM has wronged Turkish students by placing 400,000 students from Africa, the Middle East, and Afghanistan in universities without exams” is completely unfounded and contains misinformation. 

International students are placed through the International Student Admission Exam (TR-YÖS) and internationally recognized exam results, not through the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS). These students do not use YKS quotas; only citizens of the Republic of Türkiye can apply for the YKS.

The quota ratio allocated for international students at universities is determined separately for each program, and the international student ratio is around five percent of the total number of students. Quotas are determined based on the universities' proposals and the approval of the Council of Higher Education. The admission of international students is carried out in accordance with the TR-YÖS scores and international exams approved by the universities.

These students studying in Türkiye are of great importance in building bridges of friendship between countries. Today, there are international graduates from Turkish universities in 194 countries. These individuals have carried the knowledge and skills they acquired in our country into the future in a way that contributes positively to our relations with their own countries.

We strongly urge the public to trust the information shared transparently by official institutions and not to give credence to baseless claims that seek to harm our country's education system and international relations.