Quake survivor students among priority in dorm placements

ANKARA

As applications are now open for Youth and Sports Ministry-affiliated university dormitories, a digital assessment by 12 public institutions will take precedence, with special consideration granted to students affected by recent earthquakes.

Students seeking residence in these dormitories will be evaluated through an assessment process, where factors such as income, academic achievements and societal standing will be considered.

Subsequently, a ranking system will be implemented to determine successful applicants. The allocation process will then assign students to their dormitories, with priority given to the nearest available facility.

The scrutiny of student information will extend beyond the Youth and Sports Ministry, with relevant departments from various ministries, including the Social Security Institution (SGK) and the Revenue Administration, also partaking in the verification process.

"This year, we have included earthquake survivors whose houses have suffered moderate to severe damages in our priority group," Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak revealed in his address at the Dormitory Coordination Center. Consequently, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) will be one of the entities from which pertinent information will be gathered.

The application window for the ministry's dormitories, with a collective capacity of 950,000 beds, is set to conclude on Sept. 2, according to the minister.

Meanwhile, the real estate valuation platform Endeksa has conducted an analysis of rental housing costs across 10 cities with the highest student populations in Türkiye.

Leading the list, Istanbul reported an average rental value of 17,742 Turkish Liras. Following suit were Antalya with 16,303 liras and İzmir with 14,820 liras. Conversely, cities such as Erzurum, Sakarya and Eskişehir offer housing options with an average rental cost below 10,000 liras.

Istanbul hosts 13 state universities, with the Beşiktaş district, home to Galatasaray University, Istanbul Technical University, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and Boğaziçi University campuses, reporting an elevated average rental value of 34,169 liras.

In Eskişehir, another key hub for students, the average rental cost was found to be 9,113 liras. Notably, the Tepebaşı district, hosting institutions like Eskişehir Technical University and Anadolu University, exhibited an average rental value of 6,285 liras.