Quality of International Students on Türkiye Scholarships in Turkey Increases

11 May 2019 International Students

Written exams were held for the first time in the selection process of hundreds of applications coming from every part of the world for Türkiye Scholarships conducted by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). The first exam was successfully done in Afghanistan where YTB receives the highest number of applications. The new system also aims to raise the quality of international students on scholarship in Turkey. 

Hundreds of thousands of students from all corners of the world apply to the exclusive post-graduate program in Turkey called "Türkiye Scholarships" offered by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). Following their education in Turkey, students from different countries return their countries to offer their unique services for their country while at the same time building bilateral bridges between Turkey and their countries.  This year, YTB opted for a different method in the selection of candidates from Afghanistan for undergraduate studies. For years, hundreds of international students initially applied to programs online and later were interviewed face to face in their countries. This year, however, "written examination" were integrated into the selection processes.

The examination will ensure the selection of more qualified and quality students to receive education in Turkey.  The first 2019 Türkiye Scholarships Written Exam was done in 4 different centers in Afghanistan with the participation of over 5,000 candidates.  The exam was held in tough conditions of Afghanistan but it also offered a great opportunity for the Türkiye Scholarships program to overcome social injustices. YTB plans to organize written exams next year in all the countries where most of applications are received.

WE TURN A NEW PAGE FOR TÜRKİYE SCHOLARSHIPS

In relation to the first 2019 Türkiye Scholarships Written Exam in Afghanistan, YTB President Abdullah Eren underlined that quality of international students on scholarship under the Türkiye Scholarships program will be increased tremendously thanks to the written exams.  President Eren noted that 2019 Türkiye Scholarships Written Exam was done in 4 different centers in Afghanistan with the participation of over 5,000 candidates with the aim of ensuring objective evaluation and high quality of candidates. He added that the exam was administered in the local language and was in line with the local curriculum. "Despite all the risks and extraordinary conditions, we carried out these examinations in Afghanistan's Kabul, Mazar-i Sharif, Herat and Sheberghan cities with the participation of 5,600 undergraduate candidates. I would like to thank the Turkish Maarif Foundation for its support, as well as the Consulate General of Mazar-i Sharif, the head of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, the Yunus Emre Institute and the University of Istanbul. We are planning to organize similar written exams next year in the countries where we received the most applications. This period will turn a new page for the unique Türkiye Scholarships and will remarkably increase the quality of students on scholarship coming to Turkey.

The 80-question exam is aiming to assess the basic skills of students in the fields of verbal and numeric sciences. Candidates will be entitled to enter the interview, i.e. the final stage of the selection process, according to their points in the examination,” he said.