16-year-old prodigy seeks to become country’s youngest university graduate

ISTANBUL

Muhammed Hakan Nayiş, recognized as a genius at age 5 after learning to read and write at 2 and completing elementary school at 8, has now enrolled in university at just 16, striving to become the youngest university graduate in the nation.

Nayiş is currently studying Electronics and Communication Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) and aims to graduate by the age of 19.

He intends to simultaneously finish his undergraduate, graduate and internship programs in order to fulfill this objective.

He claimed that, in this regard, İTÜ's double major and minor program opportunities, along with its academic staff and campus, were all important factors in his decision to attend this university.

“Given that my area of interest is electronics and computers, I opted for İTÜ since it is a reputable university with a track record of success both domestically and abroad, allowing me to study these two subjects concurrently and at a high level in English,” he said.

According to Nayiş, as the youngest student at the institution, becoming a university student at an early age is advantageous because the body is more active and the mind is more receptive to experiences and new knowledge. "Despite the overall unfavorable perception of this situation, I myself did not encounter any social or academic challenges,” he said. 

In order to have a demanding and fruitful academic life, Nayiş intends to participate actively in the studies carried out within the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) and TEKNOFEST, Türkiye's premier technology and aerospace event. 

Nayiş, being able to play various instruments, also released a book of fairy tales titled "I Wrote A Tale" and organized book signings and seminars in numerous schools.