Report from YÖKAK: 2.3 million students dropped out of university in the last seven years

The number of students who leave without completing their university education is increasing every year.

According to the report published by the Higher Education Quality Council (YÖKAK), 2.3 million students dropped out of university between 2015 and 2022. A large portion of these students left university within the last five years. The dropout rate, which reached a record level in 2019, decreased slightly in 2022 but still remains around 390 thousand.

WHICH UNIVERSITIES HAD THE MOST STUDENT DROPOUTS?

The report, which examines the distribution of students who left according to their universities, reveals that the rate of continuing university education in Turkey is low. The vast majority of those who drop out of university are students enrolled in open education faculties.

• Anadolu University is at the top of the list with 78 thousand students,
• Istanbul University with 68 thousand,
• Gazi University with 66 thousand,
• Established institutions such as Akdeniz University, Dokuz Eylül University, Ankara University, Marmara University, and Ege University are among the top 25 universities.

Turkey is the country with the highest number of university students in Europe relative to its population. According to Eurostat data, while the number of university students per thousand people in Turkey is 95, the EU average is 38. However, while the university graduation rate in Turkey is around 30 percent, the EU average is 40 percent.