Over 165,000 International Students Applied for Turkish Scholarships This Year

More than 165,000 international students have applied for “Türkiye Scholarships,” this year, a higher education scholarship program funded by the Turkish government for international students.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy confirmed that about 165,691 students from some 171 countries had submitted applications for the program, also announcing that the number of graduates in 2021/22 reached 2,325.

“When we consider that the number of U.N. member states is 209, the fact that 15,000 international students are continuing their education from 145 different countries in Türkiye is the clearest indicator of how wide a geography the program has reached around the world,” Ersoy was quoted as saying by Hurriyet Daily News during the graduation ceremony of international students graduating through the program.

The President of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, Abdullah Eren, said that nearly 4,000 students receive scholarships under the program every year, and a total of 2,000 students enroll in graduate programs.

“We have had the pleasure of receiving a huge number of applications from all around the world just as we have in previous years,” Türkiye Scholarships says on its website.

Türkiye Scholarships started with only 42,000 applications. It aims to provide equal opportunities to students from across the world so they can access education at an international level.

It offers many scholarships for bachelor’s, master’s, PhD studies, as well as art, research and merit-based scholarships.

Eligible to apply for the program are students from all countries, graduates or those who finish studies at the end of an academic year, researchers, and academics.

The scholarships are not offered for Turkish citizens who have lost Turkish citizenship and students enrolled in programs at universities across the country at the level of education they apply for.

As per age criteria, students applying for undergraduate programs should be under the age of 21, students joining master’s programs should be under the age of 30, for PhD programs under the age of 35, while for research scholarships, applicants should not be older than 45 years.

Under the program, Turkey aims to establish partnerships with other countries and to contribute to regional and global developments in several fields such as art, economy, literature, technology, and more. 

Turkey attracts thousands of international students each year as it is known for good quality education, and diplomas obtained from a Turkish university are recognized all over Europe as the country has been part of the Bologna Process since 2002.

Last year, Turkey signed three agreements with the EU Commission, which finalized Turkey’s participation in Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, and Solidarity Corps programs for the period 2021-2027.