Over 500,000 students enrolled in Turkish foundation universities: Report

ANKARA

A total of 525,473 students were enrolled in 63 Turkish foundation universities as of February, according to a newly prepared report by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), which is the first detailed study of the foundation universities in the country.

The top 10 universities in terms of the highest number of students are based in the megacity Istanbul. Some 28,808 students were enrolled in Istanbul Aydın University, the report said. In second came Istanbul Bilgi University, with 28,479 students, followed by Beykent University, with 27,187 students.

Additionally, 13,525 students were enrolled again as of February in six other foundation vocational colleges, which support individuals with skills and competencies needed for their relevant occupational areas.

The report also analyzed the foundation universities in terms of the area it covered. The Ankara-based Başkent University covered an “open area” of 4.5 square kilometers (highest). It was followed again by an Ankara-based university, Bilkent University with 2.8 square kilometers. The Istanbul based Ataşehir Atıgüzel Vocational College covered the least “open area” with 950 square meters.

The YÖK head Prof. Yekta Saraç commented on the report in its prologue section, saying the report “evaluated the foundation universities academically, financially, and management-wise” and it would be revised every year in a means to point out the strong and weak points of the education system.

Saraç has also said the council desired to present a similar report for state universities next year.