When Necmettin Erbakan University in Konya enrolled 18,000 international students, more than many entire countries, most Turkish education observers were surprised. When Erciyes University in Kayseri reached 12,000 international students despite the city having no traditional “international appeal,” it confirmed…
A Kenyan engineering student I advised last year rejected Sabancı University in Istanbul ($7,500 tuition, $650 monthly expenses) for Erciyes University in Kayseri ($800 tuition, $320 monthly expenses). Not because she couldn’t afford Istanbul, her family could manage it, but…
When Turkey enrolled its 340,000th international student in 2024-2025, it wasn’t just hitting a milestone, it was completing a transformation that education consultants like myself watched happen program by program, city by city, over the past decade. The country multiplied…
Last month, a Pakistani engineering student withdrew from Imperial College London three weeks into his first semester. Not because of academics or visa issues, his family simply couldn’t sustain the £37,500 annual tuition plus £18,000 London living costs. He enrolled…
Last semester, a private university in Istanbul rejected 240 qualified international applicants to their business administration program, not because of grades or language scores, but because they’d already filled their 35% international student quota by early August. Meanwhile, their engineering…
When YÖK announced its latest accreditation framework in late 2025, most observers focused on the technical details, quality benchmarks, institutional assessments, compliance timelines. What they missed was the underlying shift: Turkey is moving from volume-based internationalization to selectivity-based partnerships. This…
A Turkish tech recruiter told me something startling last month: his company receives 15 job applications for every marketing position but can’t fill three open AI engineer roles despite offering salaries 60% above market average. He’s not alone, every major…
A Kenyan student arrived at Istanbul Airport last September with university admission, visa, and confidence that everything would be fine. Three hours later, she sat in our emergency consultation video call, overwhelmed and confused. Her university’s “airport pickup service” never…
Three Nigerian students sat in our office last month, each holding admission letters from different countries. One had offers from Turkish universities, another from institutions in Dubai, and the third from Malaysian programs. Same field of study, similar budgets, identical…
The global landscape of international education is undergoing a dramatic transformation. While traditional destinations like the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have long dominated the international student market, emerging alternatives are capturing increasing attention from students worldwide. Turkey, strategically…