Speaking at the forum entitled “Internationalization in Higher Education and Refugee Students,” carried out by the Council of Turkish Higher Education (YÖK) under the auspices of the Presidency of the Turkish Republic, Abdullah Eren, President of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), said that Turkiye Scholarships Program contributed to the internationalization of our universities in Turkey.

The Forum entitled “Internationalization in Higher Education and Refugee Students” was held at Karabük University as part of the “Project for Protecting Academic Heritage in the Middle East" carried out by the Council of Turkish Higher Education (YÖK) under the auspices of the Presidency of the Turkish Republic. The sponsors consist of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), Turkish Airlines (THY) and Anatolia News Agency (AA).

Speaking at a panel entitled “International Student Selection and Support” as part of the forum, YTB President Abdullah Eren said that they received scholarship applications online. Underlining that Turkiye Scholarships contribute to the internationalization of universities in Turkey, Eren added that the number of international students in Turkey was currently about 130 thousand and that nearly 15 percent of them were already given scholarships by the YTB.

Stating that the applications have started in January 15th, Eren said that the number of applications has reached over 53,000 as of today. “We broke record last year with 132,000 applications. We will receive a little more application this year. A great many applications do not mean very good students. There is no direct  proportion like that. We do not request excessive number of applications. We need to have a manageable number of applications. As we give many scholarships, they are also perceived as humanitarian aid. We actually want to bring qualified students. Qualified students come to qualified education,” Eren added.