- Turkish citizens studying at higher education institutions in Iran will be able to continue their education in Türkiye due to the Iran-Israel war

- CoHE sets conditions for students to continue their education at universities in Türkiye through transfer or as special students

- Transfer applications to be submitted September 14-18; special student applications October 1-2

September 12, 2026

The Council of Higher Education (CoHE) has introduced an arrangement to prevent disruptions to the education of Turkish citizens studying at higher education institutions in Iran due to the Iran-Israel war.

Under a decision adopted at the meeting of the General Assembly of Higher Education on August 27, 2026, students enrolled at recognized higher education institutions in Iran will be allowed to transfer to higher education institutions in Türkiye, provided that they meet the specified conditions. Students who do not meet the requirements for transfer will be able to continue their education in Türkiye as special students.

The decision was communicated to all universities in a letter dated September 10, 2026.

- Examination Requirement for Transfer

Under the arrangement, transfer applications from students enrolled in on-campus programs at higher education institutions in Iran will be assessed in accordance with the specified conditions.

Students are required to have taken the ÖSYS/YKS in the year they were admitted to their program. For applications, the relevant year’s placement ranking or base score for the program will be taken into account. For special talent programs, the centralized examination score announced for the relevant year will be used as the basis.

Students who were admitted to programs in Iran through international examinations such as the SAT, ACT, Abitur, French Baccalaureate, GCE A Level, International Baccalaureate (IB), Austrian Matura Diploma, and Italian Maturità Diploma will also be eligible to apply for transfer, provided that they meet the specified conditions.

- Universities to Determine Transfer Quotas

Transfer quotas will be determined by universities in Türkiye on a diploma-program basis. For students who completed their secondary education in Türkiye, these quotas may not exceed a total of 40 percent of the places in a diploma program, without distinction based on year of study.

The equivalence of courses and credits completed in Iran will be determined by the adjustment committee of the university to which the student transfers.

- Applications open between September 14-18

Students who enrolled at a recognized higher education institution in Iran before the start of the fall semester of the 2026-2027 academic year and who meet the transfer requirements may apply to the relevant higher education institutions between September 14 and 18, 2026.

Universities will announce the results by September 25, 2026. Students who are granted transfer rights will complete their final registration on September 28-29, 2026.

For any remaining places, reserve candidate lists will be announced on September 30, while final registration for reserve candidates will take place on October 1-2, 2026.

- Special Student Status for Those Unable to Transfer

Students who do not meet the transfer requirements but are enrolled in an on-campus program at a recognized higher education institution in Iran will also be able to continue their education at universities in Türkiye as special students.

For special student applications, factors including the student’s program, academic standing, length of time spent in the program, approval from the university in which the student is enrolled, and the academic calendar of the university to which the student applies will be taken into consideration.

Special students will be subject to the course, examination, and disciplinary rules of the university where they study. They will be provided with an official document showing the courses they have taken and their academic performance; however, they will not be able to obtain a diploma or academic title through special student status.

Students who do not meet the transfer requirements may apply for special student status between September 14 and 18, while students who applied for transfer but were unable to benefit from it may apply for special student status between October 1 and 2, 2026.

- Similar Arrangement Previously Introduced for Students in Ukraine

CoHE had previously introduced a similar arrangement to enable Turkish citizens whose education had been disrupted by war to continue their studies in Türkiye following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Thus, CoHE has reintroduced, within a similar framework, the transfer and special student opportunities it provided in 2022 for students whose education was disrupted by the war in Ukraine, this time for Turkish students in Iran in 2026.