Cost of living hits education: Number of students freezing university enrollment reaches alarming levels!

According to data announced by Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, the number of students who have frozen their university enrollment in Turkey has reached 453 thousand 852 over the last five years. In 2025 alone, this figure was recorded as 57 thousand 437. These statistics reveal that the number of young people forced to take a break from university life due to economic or other reasons is steadily increasing.

In the Ministry's response to a written parliamentary question submitted by Republican People's Party (CHP) Manisa Deputy Bekir Başevirgen, it was also noted whether students who enrolled in university were studying in their home province or in another province. In 2025, 848 thousand 741 students enrolled in university; 310 thousand 724 of them chose universities in the cities where they live. The number of students who went to a different city for university education was 538 thousand 27.

Deputy Başevirgen emphasized that the economic difficulties, the cost of living, and the loss of quality in education experienced in recent years have driven young people away from universities, criticizing the situation with the words, “This bleak picture is the work of the government. The cost of living has spiraled out of control.”

News Source: 12punto