Fake diplomas, e-signatures, and now fake passports... Turkish students have entered medical and law schools illegally

While Turkey has been shaken by fake diploma and fake e-signature scandals in recent months, allegations of fake passports are now on the agenda.

According to a report in journalist Murat Ağırel's column in the Cumhuriyet newspaper, hundreds of Turkish students have entered universities—particularly medical and law schools that require high entrance scores—using fake foreign passports.

TIP-OFF REACHED CİMER

In a tip-off submitted to CİMER in November 2024, it was stated that some Turkish students had obtained fake passports to take advantage of "international student" quotas. The tip-off included the following statements:

"As a result of applications made with fake passports, students are unfairly enrolling in departments such as medicine, dentistry, and law. It is alleged that some university officials turned a blind eye to these applications and facilitated the procedures during this process."

Copies of the passports alleged to be fake were also submitted as attachments to the tip-off.

INTER-INSTITUTIONAL CORRESPONDENCE TRAFFIC

CİMER forwarded the tip-off to the Ministry of Interior and subsequently to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An investigation by the General Directorate of Migration Management's Department of Foreigners determined that the individuals holding these passports had no records of legal entry into or exit from Turkey. The application was referred to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) for an examination of university records.

In December, the General Directorate of Security's Department for Combating Migrant Smuggling and Border Gates also intervened, reporting that investigations are ongoing.

Some of the universities mentioned in the tip-off responded to CİMER:

Ankara Medipol University: Reported that the registrations of students who did not submit their documents on time were deleted and that legal proceedings were initiated upon the detection of irregularities.

İzmir Katip Çelebi University: Stated that one student had enrolled in 2020 and voluntarily withdrew their registration in 2024.

Doğuş University: Denied the allegations and stated that no illegal transactions had taken place.

İstanbul Nişantaşı University: Stated that a student named Enes A. had enrolled in the medical school via the international quota in 2021 and that their registration was deleted by a management decision in 2022.

THE SCANDAL GROWS

It is stated that the investigation into students who entered medical and law schools with fake passports will be deepened, and that disciplinary and judicial processes may be initiated both within universities and before official institutions.