February 9, 2025 / Istanbul

CoHE President Erol Özvar announced the completion of the Internationalization in Higher Education Strategy Document (2024-2028), highlighting internationalization as a core strategic priority.

Özvar stated that their goal is to position Turkish higher education as a hub for academic, student, and administrative staff mobility and collaboration on both regional and global levels. He highlighted several key initiatives outlined in the strategy document:

· We are creating a global inventory of Turkish scientists, forming what we call a “Science Homeland.” Through their research and academic contributions, Turkish scientists worldwide will shape the boundaries of this intellectual network. By strengthening their connections, we aim to foster a powerful global alliance of scientific collaboration.

· Turkish universities will be encouraged to establish academic units, including campuses, faculties, and programs abroad. Following initiatives in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, new campuses will be opened in the Balkans, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.

· International graduates with expertise in strategic fields such as high technology, engineering, medicine, and science will be recruited to contribute to Turkish universities and industries.

· Policies and incentives will be expanded to attract globally renowned scientists to work at Turkish universities, both in short-term and long-term roles.

· The Turkic World Higher Education Area will be strengthened.

· The number of international students in Türkiye is expected to surpass 500,000, with efforts to increase the country’s global share of international students to 6.25%.

· Academics will be encouraged to gain experience at prestigious universities and research centers abroad through overseas research scholarship programs, supporting their doctoral and post-doctoral studies.

· Legal, administrative, and accreditation frameworks will be established for education and consultancy agencies that facilitate the arrival of international students in Türkiye.

Özvar emphasized that the strategy document was developed in alignment with the vision of positioning Türkiye as a global hub for higher education, guided by the government’s key policy documents, particularly the 12th Development Plan.

Türkiye Ranks 8th Globally in International Student Enrollment

Türkiye, which has the largest student population in the European Higher Education Area, is also the 8th country in the world with the highest number of international students, currently hosting 350,000 international students.

The proportion of international students in Türkiye’s total student population stands at 7.49%, surpassing the OECD average of 6.62%.

To attract more high-caliber international students, efforts are underway to establish TR-YÖS—the exam used for international student admissions—as a globally recognized standardized test.

The strategy document also highlights that increasing the involvement of international graduates in Türkiye’s R&D ecosystem will enhance the country’s global reputation and competitiveness in the international labor market.

-Proportion of international teaching staff will be increased to 5 percent-

It is aimed to increase the proportion of international academic staff, which is 1.57 percent of total academic staff, to 5 percent.

According to the targets in the document, higher education institutions will be encouraged to exchange students and academic staff, and policies will be developed to increase the diversity, number and quality of mobility around the world.

Policies will be determined to increase international cooperation agreements, joint education and training programs, joint projects and scientific activities, and universities will be encouraged in these areas.

- Support will continue for research universities to rise in world rankings-

In order to ensure that Turkish higher education institutions rise in world rankings, research universities identified among the universities with the most favorable research potential will continue to be supported under a special program.

- It will be ensured that the Turkic Universities Union (TURKUNIB) becomes a brand in the academic world

Realization of joint projects in the Turkic World Higher Education Area will be supported. In this context; Turkic World Higher Education Area Data Bank, Turkic World Higher Education Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency and Turkic States Organization Higher Education Foundation will be established. In order for the Turkic Universities Union (TURKUNIB) to emerge as a brand in the academic world, the work of the universities participating in this Union will be supported.

The number and quality of programs offering education in foreign languages at the master's and doctoral level will be increased, especially in order to meet the faculty member needs of other countries.