Crisis stricken world universities offer incentives for Turkish applicants

International universities that have experienced a decrease in the applications due to the global financial crisis have started campaigns to attract Turkish students.

International universities that have experienced a decrease in the size of their student body due to the ongoing global financial crisis have carried out various campaigns to attract Turkish applicants, according to a report published by the Ministry of Education.

According to the report, 150 universities from 22 countries are now offering special incentives to attract Turkish students. The universities are trying to compensate for their losses by attracting a fraction of the 1.5 million Turkish students who were not accepted into university in Turkey — only 300,000 out of the approximately 1.8 million students who take the Student Selection Examination (ÖSS) are accepted into a university in Turkey. World-famous universities in the US, Britain and France are offering extra incentives and scholarships, some meeting up to 80 percent of tuition costs. A number of language schools are also offering an extra week of lessons free for every four weeks of paid classes.

The report says over 150 international universities and language schools have contacted the Turkish Ministry of Education’s General Directorate of Study Abroad. Countries whose universities are currently seeking Turkish students reportedly include the UK, the US, the Netherlands, France, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Austria, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Malta, Lithuania, South Africa, Spain, Canada, Switzerland, Qatar and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC). The Ministry of Education closely monitors the offers of international universities and informs Turkish students about the opportunities available to them.

The University of Reading in England offers scholarships of up to 7,000 pounds. Greenwich University offers scholarships of 1,000 pounds, Coventry University offers 1,500 pounds and the University of East Anglia offers scholarships of 1,000 to 1,500 pounds to Turkish applicants. The University of Bristol offers a scholarship covering up to 50 percent of tuition for those who apply to the university by July 31. The San Diego University For Integrative Studies in the US offers graduate programs for $300 per month and MBA programs for $400 per month.

According to data provided by Ministry of Education’s General Directorate of Study Abroad, there are currently 44,204 Turkish students studying abroad, while 16,656 international students study in Turkey. The first choice of Turkish students seeking to study abroad is Germany, followed by the US and the UK. Approximately 27,000 Turkish students attend German universities, 12,000 attend universities in the US and 1,600 attend British universities.

According to the directorate, despite the ongoing global financial crisis, there has been a gradual increase in the number of students interested in studying in the US. The number of Turkish students studying in the US was 12,030 last year, a 4.6 percent increase when compared to the previous year.

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