Turkey’s higher education system is entering a period of contraction after student enrollment fell by more than half a million during the 2025-2026 academic year, according to a report by a union released on Tuesday.
The report by the Eğitim Sen education union said the decline reflects a broader structural crisis driven by inadequate student housing, limited public funding and growing pressure on academic freedom. Student enrollment fell by 533,681 compared to the previous academic year, which Eğitim Sen said marked the end of years of rapid expansion in higher education and the beginning of a period of contraction.
The decline also comes as Turkey’s university-age population is gradually shrinking. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), people aged 15 to 24 accounted for 14.8 percent of the country’s population in 2025, with their share projected to decline further in the coming decades.
Turkey has 208 institutions of higher learning, including 129 state universities, 75 private foundation universities and four foundation vocational schools. Despite that growth Eğitim Sen said investment in staffing, student housing and educational quality has failed to keep pace.
More than 3 million students are enrolled in in-person or distance education, while nearly 2 million are pursuing second university degrees. The union said the figures show that higher education has expanded through mass enrollment and diploma production rather than investment in accessible, high-quality public education.
Student housing remains one of the system’s biggest problems. State-run dormitories operated by Turkey’s Higher Education Loans and Dormitories Authority (KYK) accommodated 1,003,259 students during the 2025-2026 academic year across 880 dormitories nationwide.
Based on those figures, roughly one in four students enrolled in full-time higher education was able to secure a place in a state dormitory, which forced many others to rely on increasingly expensive private housing.
High inflation has further increased the financial burden on students and their families as well. Rising rents in university cities, together with higher food and transportation costs, have left many students struggling to afford higher education despite qualifying for admission. Eğitim Sen said insufficient scholarships and student loans have forced many to rely on family support, debt or insecure jobs while studying.
The report also pointed to shortages of academic staff, with an average of 33 students for every faculty member nationwide. The ratio was higher at state universities than at private institutions, which the union said reflected persistent shortages of funding and personnel in public higher education.
Although women account for 47.2 percent of academic staff, their representation declines significantly in senior academic and administrative positions, according to the report. Eğitim Sen also criticized the government’s higher education budget, saying a 33 percent increase for 2026 was insufficient because 73.78 percent of spending was allocated to salaries and social security contributions, leaving limited resources for scientific research, infrastructure, student support and campus services.
Beyond financial challenges, the report criticized what it described as growing political interference in universities. It said government-appointed university administrations, continued restrictions on dismissed academics and closer cooperation between universities and religious institutions have weakened academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
Eğitim Sen called for reforms to rebuild what it described as a public, secular, democratic and autonomous higher education system, saying students’ rights to education, housing and food should be protected along with secure working conditions for university employees.
Eğitim Sen is one of Turkey’s largest education unions and publishes annual assessments of the country’s education system. Many university graduates in Turkey continue to struggle to find jobs matching their qualifications, raising questions about the value of a university degree for some young people. The rising cost of living, declining university-age demographics and growing debate over university autonomy have fueled questions about the long-term direction of higher education in Turkey.