Türkiye
Yükseköğretim Kurulu Tanıma ve Denklik Hizmetleri Daire Başkanlığı/ENIC-NARIC Türkiye
Council of Higher Education Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services
Yükseköğretim Kurulu Başkanlığı (YÖK)
06539, Bilkent-Ankara Türkiye
Phone: +90 312 298 71 45
Fax: +90 312 266 50 60
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://denklik.yok.gov.tr/
Head of Centre: Dr. Canan ÜNVAN, Academic Expert, Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services
Education
The basic structure of the Turkish National Education System consists of noncompulsory pre-school, compulsory primary, lower and upper secondary school, and higher education. The Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education is the responsible body for pre-university education and the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) is the public authority for higher education
(www.yok.gov.tr, www.studyinturkey.gov.tr).
Turkish education system is conducted on a central level by the Ministry of National Education (MoNE).
12 years of compulsory education includes 4-year Primary School (Grades 1 to 4), 4-year Lower Secondary School (Grades 5 to 8) and 4-year Upper Secondary School (Grades 9 to 12). Education is provided both by public and private sector and it is free in all public schools without any reservation. Different modes of learning like face to face learning, open learning, distance learning, etc. are part of Turkish formal education system.
Early Childhood Education (ISCED Level 0)
Early childhood education is formed of two stages, carried out by two different public authorities.
- The Nursery and the Day Care Centres are providing education service for 0-36 months old children and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services is the authoritative body for the Centres https://ailevecalisma.gov.tr/en-US , https://ailevecalisma.gov.tr/chgm-en/ .
- Preschools deliver education services for 36-66 months old children. Ministry of National Education (MoNE) is the responsible public body for preschools http://www.meb.gov.tr/ , http://www.meb.gov.tr/en/ .
Early childhood education is compulsory for children over 36 months old, who are in need of special education and guidance.
Primary Education (ISCED Level 1)
Primary school education is compulsory for children, who are 66 months to 10 years. Duration of the primary education is 4 years, which includes 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades.
Lower Secondary Education (ISCED Level 2)
10 to 14 years old students receive education at Lower Secondary Schools in the grades 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. Lower Secondary Schools are the second stage of 12 years compulsory education.
Upper Secondary Education (ISCED Level 3)
Upper Secondary Education is the final stage for compulsory education. 14 to 18 years old students attend 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades of the School. There are various types of Upper Secondary Schools including General High School, Anatolian High School, Science High School, Sports High School, Religious High School, High School of Fine Arts, Technical and Vocational High School, etc. Upper Secondary School diploma/qualification provides access to higher education.
Post-secondary Non-tertiary Education (ISCED Level 4)
Refers to “Technical and Vocational Training”:
The Council of Higher Education (CoHE) / Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK) is responsible for all higher education institutions. CoHE has autonomy and public identity within the framework of powers and duties given to it with Constitution and provisions of Law. CoHE is responsible for the strategic planning, coordination, supervision and monitoring of higher education as well as establishing and maintaining quality assurance mechanisms in Turkey.
The Higher Education System constitutes an important part of the Turkish education system with nearly eight million students and higher education institutions spreading across the country. Turkey is ranked first among the countries of the European Higher Education Area in terms of both the number of students in higher education and the increase in the number of students over the years.
Higher education in Turkey consists of short, first, second, and third cycle degrees in terms of the terminology of the Bologna Process. The structure of Turkish higher education degrees is based on a two-tier system, except for dentistry, pharmacy, medicine and veterinary programs which have a one-tier system. The duration of these one-tier programs is five years (300 ECTS) except for medicine which lasts six years (360 ECTS). The qualifications in these one-tier programs are equivalent to the first cycle (bachelor’s) plus second cycle (master’s) degree. Undergraduate level of study consists of short cycle (associate’s / önlisans) and first cycle (bachelor’s / lisans derecesi) degrees which are awarded after successful completion of full-time two-year (120 ECTS) and four-year (240 ECTS) study programs, respectively.
Enrollment of International Students in Turkish Universities (www.studyinturkey.gov.tr)
- Universities determine their own criteria.
- National and international exams, secondary education degree, grade point average and the exams prepared by the universities.
- Minimum and maximum amounts of tuition fees of state universities are decided annually by the Presidential Decree.
- Universities determine their tuition fees for each faculty, program and institute.
National Information Centre (NIC) Information and Activities
The National Information Centre (NIC) has operated under the Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services (DRES) at the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) since 1983.
Services offered by DRES include ‘recognition’, which indicates that an overseas higher education institution is accepted as being authorized to give academic degrees, and ‘equivalence’, which indicates that qualifications at Associate degree, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree level received from recognized overseas higher education institutions are confirmed to be equivalent to the qualifications in Turkey.
The recognition and equivalence procedures of qualifications (diplomas and degrees) received from higher education institutions abroad are under the responsibility of the Higher Education Council.
Contact Details
Focal Point: Fatma ÖZTÜRK, Office Manager, The Council of Higher Education (CoHE / YÖK)
Email: Address: [email protected]
Preservation of Academic Heritage in the Middle East
In addition to increasing its efforts to reveal the important elements of the history of science, and science centres destroyed due to ongoing wars in the Middle East, and to preserve and sustain academic life, the CoHE launched an initiative titled Preservation of ,Academic Heritage in the Middle East under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and with the support of Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), Turkish Airlines (THY), and Anadolu Agency (AA).
The scope of the project includes a website, and an English version, featuring, among others, short films on the stories of academics and students who continue their academic lives in Turkey.
Higher Education Institutions (HEI) Landscape and Mobility
Quality assurance (QA) in higher education came into special focus in Turkey after the participation of the country in the Bologna Process in 2001. Efforts and activities related to the Bologna reforms gained momentum after 2005. Among these were activities to set up a national system of QA comparable to the systems of international counterparts.
The QA system was first based on the Regulation on Academic Evaluation and Quality Improvement in Higher Education Institutions issued in 2005. In 2006 the Turkish Qualifications Framework in Higher Education (TQF-HE) was founded and an independent Commission for Academic Assessment and Quality Improvement in Higher Education titled YODEK was established, which included nine representatives of universities and one student representative.
In 2015 YODEK was repealed and the Higher Education Quality Board (HEQB) was established within the CoHE. In 2017 the HEQB became a public institution with administrative and financial autonomy, and was renamed as the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC).
The main responsibilities of the HEQC are external evaluation of higher education institutions, assessment of applications of quality assurance agencies for registration and proposing assessment results to the CoHE General Assembly, as well as dissemination of a quality assurance culture in the Turkish higher education system.
The HEQB promotes the implementation of the National Quality Assurance System, which consists of the principles that higher education instructions will use as reference for internal quality assurance systems, quality indicators and related processes. In addition, it ensures the assessment of internal quality assurance systems of institutions, with Internal Evaluation Reports prepared annually by the institutions. It also organizes training services on quality assurance.
Each higher education institution must be inspected for an institutional external evaluation at least once every five years by HEQC. Between 2016 and 2019, 160 higher education institutions (104 state universities, 51 foundation universities and five vocational school of HEI) were evaluated and the reports shared with stakeholders and the public.
As of 2020, there were 16 national accreditation agencies and four recognized international accreditation agencies authorized by the HEQB that are entitled to carry out procedures related to programme accreditation. The number of higher education institutions with accredited programmes was 93. There were 791 accredited undergraduate programmes, including 619 undergraduate programmes accredited by national accreditation agencies and 172 undergraduate programmes accredited by international accreditation agencies.
In addition, the CoHE has worked to promote, facilitate and internalize the implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) reforms. Between 2016 and 2019, the CoHE conducted a project which was accepted by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme, titled Implementation and Sustainability of EHEA Reforms in Turkish Higher Education System, abbreviated as .
Since 2009, thirty-one Turkish universities have received the European Credit Transfer System Label (ECTS Label), the highest number within EHEA countries. A total of seventy-three institutions have received the Diploma Supplement Label.
In April 2020 the application of the HEQB for full membership to the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) was accepted. The HEQB is also a member of APQN, CHEA and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education.
Types of Higher Education Institutions and academic units
Faculty (College): A division conducting higher education, scholarly research and publication. Various departments and programmes may be connected to it. Students earn a Bachelor’s degree at the end of an programme that lasts for at least four years.
Graduate School: An institution in universities concerned with graduate education, scholarly research and applications. Graduate schools award MA, MSc or PhD degrees.
4-year School: An institution of higher education which is mainly concerned with providing instruction for a specific profession. Programmes last for eight semesters.
Conservatory: An institution of higher education in which artists are trained for music and the performing arts. Programmes last for eight semesters.
Post-Secondary Vocational School: An institution of higher education that is aimed at training human capacity in specific professions, and provides instruction lasting four semesters.
Research and Application Centre: An institution of higher education carrying out research and applied studies to meet the applied study needs of various areas, and to provide preparatory and support activities for various professional areas, with the aim of supporting education in institutions of higher education.
- https://www.yok.gov.tr/universiteler/universitelerimiz
- http://www.studyinturkey.gov.tr/StudyInTurkey/Universities
Mobility of higher education students, institutions and programmes
Internationalization is one of the core features of the strategic plan of the Council of Higher Education (CoHE). The CoHE believes that internationalization in higher education is an investment for the future and requires a sustainable commitment to the students, academic staff and institutional partners. The CoHE’s purpose is to develop and enhance joint/dual degree programmes between institutions in Turkey and from all over the world. Joint education and training programmes can be established in all levels (associate, undergraduate and graduate) by signing a protocol between the Parties. The CoHE highly encourages universities to embrace and learn from cultural diversity and embed cross-institutional internationalization. The first initiative taken by the CoHE was the Regulation on Joint Education and Training Programmes between Turkish and International Higher Education Institutions, dated 28 December, 2006. A new Regulation on Joint Education and Training Programmes Between Higher Education Institutions and International Higher Education Institutions was enacted on 6 October, 2016. It introduced faster and more practical procedures for universities to receive their approved protocols from the CoHE. A total of 227 joint degree programmes have been approved by the CoHE.
Trends(Total Number of International Students (2018–2019)
Policies
The Study in Turkey website developed by the CoHE includes general information on the Turkish higher education system, and information on scholarships, experiences of international students, living conditions, and culture, in the Turkish, English and Arabic languages.
The CoHE puts a focus on improving current relations with our partners and establishing a bond with new players. The MOU protocols it develops with partners aim to establish the institutional framework for Parties to organize academic and scientific exchanges. The CoHE and counterparts also set up joint monitoring procedures.
The countries with which the CoHE has signed protocols are as follows: (in alphabetical order, from 11.11.2014);
Albania • Algeria • Azerbaijan • Bahrain • Bangladesh • Belarus • Burkina Faso • Chad • Djibouti • Ethiopia • Gambia • Iran (Islamic Republic of) • Iraq • Kosovo • Malaysia • Morocco • Niger • North Macedonia • Pakistan • Qatar • Rwanda• Somali • Republic of Korea • South Sudan • Sudan • Taiwan province of China • Tunisia • Uganda • Ukraine • Uzbekistan • Zambia
Projects
International Support Programmes
Mevlana Exchange Programme
Mevlana Exchange Programme presents an opportunity both for international and Turkish university students to study abroad. The aim of the programme is to enable the exchange of students and academic staff between the Turkish higher education institutions and higher education institutions of the other countries. Without making any geographical discrimination, the Programme is open to all higher education institutions around the world.
The Programme is carried out in accordance with the Mevlana Exchange Programme Protocol signed between Turkish and international higher education institutions. 2000 protocols have been signed since 2013.
Students may study abroad for one (minimum) or two (maximum) semesters and the academic staff may give lectures abroad from two weeks up to three months.
Project-Based International Exchange Programme
“Project-Based International Exchange Programme” is another powerful step CoHE has taken towards the internationalisation of higher education. Higher education institutions develop mutual projects on the fields approved by the Executive Board of CoHE. Selected projects are carried out through the exchange of students/academic staff.
This Programme will support and promote cooperation between higher education institutions. There have been 114 projects between 50 Turkish state universities and various higher education institutions abroad since 2016 and some of these projects are completed.
Turkey-Pakistan Researchers’ Mobility Grant Programme
Turkey-Pakistan Researchers’ Mobility Grant Programme 2017 is a Turkish and Pakistani cooperation initiative that contributes to the internationalization of higher education. The objective of the programme is to develop new scientific and technological cooperation between the Turkish and Pakistani higher education institutions by supporting the mobility of graduate students and academic staff. In this respect, the Council of Higher Education has approved 11 projects from nine Turkish state universities for financial support for mobility.
Who Can Benefit from the Exchange Programme?
Associate Degree, B.A, M.A and PhD level students in Turkish higher education institutions (on the condition that the higher education institution has a bilateral Mevlana Exchange Protocol) may benefit from the Mevlana Exchange Programme.
Academic staff working in Turkish or international higher education institutions, with bilateral Mevlana Exchange Protocol, may benefit from Mevlana Exchange Programme.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Exchange Programmes
- Do students have to pay any tuition fees when they participate in the Exchange Programmes?
Students do not pay any tuition fees to the host institutions during the programme, but they continue to pay the obligatory tuition fees to their home institutions. They do not pay any extra fees to the host institutions within the scope of the exchange programme.
- Do the students participating in the programme repeat the courses/semesters taken at the host institution?
As the course(s) to be taken in the host institution are officially agreed to be counted in advance in line with the Learning Protocol, the students do not repeat any courses/semesters when they return.
- What would be the status of the existing scholarships during the Exchange Programmes?
Exchange Programme students continue to take their existing scholarships and grants in their home countries and they have to complete their registration in their home institutions. They pay tuition fees to their home institution if they are obliged to and they do not need to pay any other tuition fee to the host institution.
The scholarship amount for the incoming and outgoing exchange students and academic staff may differ according to the life standards of the country of the host institution.
YÖK Scholarship for International Students
The scholarship programme was designed for the BA, MA and PhD level international students from the countries that have signed a protocol and/or Memorandum of Understanding with the Council of Higher Education. The international students, who were placed in Turkish programmes and who could not certify the proficiency in the Turkish language are offered language preparation for one year[1]. The monthly stipend is 1,000 TL for undergraduates, 1,650 TL for postgraduates and 2,750 TL for doctoral students. Since 2016, 256 students from 13 countries have been receiving YÖK Scholarship.
Currently, CoHE has been working on new partnership opportunities with other countries to add more international students to the programme.
Integration of Syrian Students into Turkish Higher Education System – International Cooperation
In March 2017, CoHE organized an international conference with the participation of key actors of Syrian response plan, high level officials as well as university rectors and Syrian students at Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay. The participants discussed the challenges and opportunities and came up with some resolutions for the future of Syrians in higher education. An MoU between CoHE and Dutch NGO SPARK was signed at the same conference. In accordance with the MoU, CoHE collaborated with SPARK for the selection and placement of 249 B.A. level Syrian scholarship students in Turkish universities for the 2017-2018 academic year. In another agreement with the Qatar-based NGO Al-Fakhoora and SPARK, CoHE selected 104 eligible Syrian TVET students for the scholarship for the same academic year.
In line with the partnership agreement with SPARK and Education Above All/Al – Fakhoora signed on November 15, 2017, CoHE will carry out the placement of 3,070 Syrian refugee students and Palestinian students in B.A. and Associate level programmes in Turkish universities until May 2021.
Higher Education. More information on Mevlana Exchange Programme is available at https://www.yok.gov.tr/web/mevlana. Top 10 countries participating in the Exchange Programme are the USA, South Korea, Malaysia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Jordan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan
[1] As of January 2019
Domestic Support Programmes
100/2000 CoHE Doctoral Scholarship
“100/2000 CoHE Doctoral Scholarship Project” was designed as a long-term project with a participatory approach to increase the number of PhD-level human resource in the prioritized fields. In this respect, CoHE announced a call for application to universities, offering scholarships to students in 100 thematic fields in the areas of “Basic Sciences and Engineering”, “Health Sciences”, “Social Sciences” and “Architecture and Design”.
The aim of the project is to create a competitive environment based on the fields of specialization at state universities, to produce knowledge in priority fields and to promote universities within the scope of this project. The first call for 100/2000 CoHE Doctoral Scholarship was in the spring term of the 2016-2017 academic year and there have been seven calls since then. Nearly 5 thousand students have received the scholarship so far and the programme increasingly attracts more students and universities. The eighth call for the scholarship is planned to be announced in June 2020.
Who can apply?
- Turkish citizens who are under 35 years of age
- Students holding a Master’s degree for a doctoral programme and a Bachelor’s degree for an integrated doctoral programme
- Students who meet the application and admission requirements determined by the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training and the higher education institution they will apply for
- PhD students who are doing their doctoral studies in a higher education institution and have not started to write their doctoral theses
- Full time working students (excluding public service officers and academic staff) will be able to apply for the eighth call of the scholarship programme.
100/2000 CoHE Doctoral Scholarship supports students for four years. Starting from March 2020, the monthly stipend was determined as 2,450 TL for unemployed scholarship holders and 650 TL for employed scholarship holders.
CoHE Support Scholarship
The Council of Higher Education offers scholarships to students in prioritized areas determined in the strategic plan of Turkey’s socio-economic development and welfare. In this regard, students studying in Fundamental Sciences, Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Mining and Earth Sciences have been receiving scholarships from CoHE.
Since 2016, around 2,000 CoHE Support Scholarship holders from 103 state higher education institutions have been receiving 800 TL on a monthly basis[1].
CoHE TEBIP Scholarship
CoHE Basic Sciences Programme (YOK-TEBIP) is a unique initiative both in Turkey and around the world aiming to establish a distinguished class of students at İstanbul University. The students have been selected from the state universities according to their success in ranking (top three in the order of placement) in the placement for each basic sciences programme (Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics). The aim of CoHE TEBIP Scholarship programme is to train successful students as prospective scientists for the future of Turkey.
The language of instruction will be Turkish. Students are supported with foreign language courses offered by international and Turkish lecturers. Around 1/3 of the lecturers are selected from the faculty members of various higher education institutions.
A monthly stipend of 1,100 TL is offered to students for 12 months in the programme. 82 students (26 in Physics, 23 in Biology, 15 in Chemistry and 18 in Mathematics) are receiving education in honor classes in the 2020 academic year.
CoHE Türkology Scholarship Programme
CoHE Turkology Scholarship Programme is a scholarship programme that grants scholarship to undergraduate students of Turkish Language and Literature, Turkology and Turkish Language programmes at universities abroad. It will be determined by the Council of Higher Education, with priority for the other countries the Council of Higher Education is in collaboration with and/or signed a memorandum of understanding.
CoHE launched the programme with the slogan “Turkology Wants You” addressing to young people wishing to study at universities in countries where Turkology programmes are available. The programme aims to strengthen Turkology programmes in universities abroad and attract successful young people to these programmes. CoHE has initiated all these scholarship programmes as field-based programmes, targeting only successful students.
CoHE also aims the graduates of this department to do their doctoral studies in Turkey and become instructors in the Turkology departments of the universities they graduate from.
YOK Turkology Scholarship Programme is being carried out in coordination with the Embassies of the Republic of Turkey and will be extended in the upcoming period. It is expected for the program to strengthen Turkology programs at universities abroad, draw attention to these programmes, revive some programmes that are at risk of closing down and make Turkey more visible in the international arena.
Farabi Exchange Programme
Farabi Exchange Programme is a student exchange programme between higher education institutions that offer programmes at associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate levels within universities and institutes of higher technology.
Farabi Exchange Programme aims to enable students to continue their education and training activities in another higher education institution for one or two semesters.
Students who participate in Farabi Exchange Programme receive non-refundable scholarships.
YÖK-YUDAB Programme
The “Research Scholarship for Doctoral Studies Abroad for Research Assistants (YÖK-YUDAB)” was first launched in 2018 to raise the quality bar in Turkish higher education by improving the quality of people with doctorate degrees in Turkey.
In this context, academic staff, who are working as research assistants at state universities and writing their doctoral theses, can do research on their thesis subject at a prestigious university which is ranked in higher positions in the world university or subject rankings carried out by the Times Higher Education, Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai) and QS World Universities Rankings for a minimum of six months and a maximum of one year.
TURQUAS PROJECT
TURkish QUality ASsurance Project is the first Erasmus+ project of CoHE aiming to promote, facilitate and internalize the implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) reforms.
The Implementation and Sustainability of EHEA Reforms in Turkish Higher Education System Project (TURQUAS), which is perceived as an important motivation tool used to fulfil the requirements of the “Regulation on Quality Assurance in Higher Education” and the “Regulation on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Implementation of the “National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Turkey”, was completed in 2019.
Detailed information about the project which has the purpose of raising awareness for the quality assurance in Turkish higher education institutions, generalizing and internalizing quality culture, and generalizing the institutional external evaluation process in higher education institutions can be found on the website https://turquas.yok.gov.tr/
[1] As of January 2019