September 4, 2025  

The additional quotas granted by the Council of Higher Education to relatives of martyrs and veterans, earthquake victims, and female candidates over the age of 34 at universities received significant interest in the 2025-YKS, as in previous years.

According to the 2025-YKS placement results, a large part of the quotas opened within this scope have been used.

To prevent students in the region from suffering hardship due to the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, earthquake victim quotas were offered in 2023 to students residing in Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elâzığ, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Şanlıurfa, as well as candidates residing outside the affected provinces but attending the final year of secondary education in these provinces. 95 percent of the 9,141 additional spots reserved for earthquake victims in the 2025-YKS have been filled. A total of 8,726 candidates have been placed in higher education programs.

971 students were placed in the 4,450 scholarship-based student quotas allocated for the spouses and children of martyrs, the spouses and children of veterans, and veteran candidates at foundation higher education institutions. This resulted in a 24% occupancy rate for this quota.

Within the scope of the additional quota for women over the age of 34, students who enrolled in associate degree programs in 2023 completed their higher education successfully. 1,557 female students who completed their associate degree programs celebrated their graduation this year.

The Council of Higher Education allocated 11,682 additional quotas in the 2025-YKS for women over the age of 34 who had not previously had the opportunity to benefit from higher education. 9,309 female candidates took advantage of this right and earned the right to attend university. The occupancy rate for these quotas was 80 percent.

Women candidates over the age of 34 were placed in many different programs thanks to this additional quota. In the 2025-YKS, the most preferred program within formal education programs was Child Development.

Of the total 24,868 additional quotas allocated for relatives of martyrs and veterans, earthquake victims, and female candidates over the age of 34 in the 2025-YKS, 19,006 were filled. Candidates will be able to apply for the remaining 5,862 quotas in the additional placement process to be announced in the coming days.

Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education, emphasized that they prioritize inclusivity and social participation in higher education, noting that these quotas aim to facilitate access to higher education, particularly for disadvantaged candidates.

Özvar pointed out that candidates who made their choices and were placed according to general and special quota conditions are subject to separate rankings within their own categories, stating, “Thus, there is no question of any loss of rights or inequality among candidates.”

Özvar stated that the additional quotas allocated for earthquake victims are of great importance in terms of enabling young people to continue their education without interruption. He also noted that the additional quotas allocated for the spouses and children of martyrs, the spouses and children of veterans, and veteran candidates are a modest expression of gratitude to the relatives of martyrs and veterans.

Reminding that the additional quotas for women over the age of 34 were designed and implemented with the aim of expanding equal opportunities and increasing fair access to higher education, Özvar pointed out that offering compensation opportunities to disadvantaged groups and ensuring that every individual has equal opportunities is a requirement of the social state.