The İstanbul-based Marmara University, from where Turkish President Recep Erdoğan allegedly graduated, was given the largest amount of state funds among other universities in 2019, Turkish media reported.
According to data from the Strategy and Budget Directorate, which is tied to the presidency, Marmara University was given state funds totaling TL 36.8 million in 2019, the largest amount of state funds allocated to a university. Marmara was followed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University and İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, which were each given TL 20 million in state funds last year.
There has been an ongoing debate in Turkey since Erdoğan’s election in 2014 as president as to his completion or not of university since the Office of the President has provided no satisfactory documentation of his graduation.
Despite several calls for Erdoğan to produce an original copy of his four-year college degree to prove that he is eligible to be president, no evidence has been forthcoming proving the completion of his studies.
It has been argued that the diploma query system of Marmara University, the college Erdoğan allegedly attended, was shut down by a court verdict dated July 18, 2014.
Despite challenges for Erdoğan to introduce his college classmates, there have not been any, while Erdoğan often refers to his high-school classmates.