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Education in Türkiye passed through successive milestones during 2026, spanning schools, universities, scholarships, examinations and student services. This article brings together the principal developments documented from 1 January to 12 October, arranging them by month so readers can follow the year from its beginning. It covers schooling, higher education, admission and student support while retaining the date and specific scope of each announcement.
This is a record of selected documented developments, rather than a claim to list every local activity or announcement issued by hundreds of institutions. The year was still in progress at the end of this coverage period. October is therefore covered only up to 12 October. November, December and later events appear only as future dates announced earlier, where they are needed to explain an announcement.
Dates beneath individual entries distinguish the event itself from publication of the announcement. If a rule was issued in March and a university explained its application in April, both dates remain visible. When an examination or application schedule concerns a date still to come, the entry records the announcement without suggesting that the examination has taken place or results have been released. Keeping these stages separate makes the sequence clearer for families, students and researchers.
Read the whole article for an overview of the year, or go directly to the month relevant to your current stage. The table counts the entries included here, rather than every education decision in Türkiye. Some concern the Ministry of National Education; others concern higher education, an individual university or a particular funding programme. An institution's announcement should not be treated as a universal university admission condition, and funding awarded to institutions is not a guaranteed offer to individual students.
A student taking notes on study papers
Entries by month
| Month | Included entries | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| January | 5 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| February | 2 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| March | 5 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| April | 3 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| May | 2 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| June | 4 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| July | 5 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| August | 10 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| September | 5 | The month falls within the coverage period |
| October | 7 | 1–12 October |
January 2026
January brings together the end of the first school term and announcements of programmes and opportunities whose effects extend into the rest of the year. Keeping these early announcements in their original month explains what happened before the examination and summer admission periods, rather than moving them to the month when later procedures were carried out.The Directorate of Credits and Dormitories announced new monthly support amounts for 2026: TRY 4,000 for undergraduate students, TRY 8,000 for master's students and TRY 12,000 for doctoral students. January payments were due to start on the sixth, in an order determined by identity numbers. These amounts concern eligible beneficiaries of the GSB programme. A scholarship and a student loan are different forms of support, and the amounts should not be presented as payments to every student or as the allowances under the international Türkiye Scholarships programme.
Applications for the 2026 Türkiye Scholarships cycle opened on 10 January. The Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities confirmed the opening in a report dated 15 January. The cycle covered associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral study, with applications closing on 20 February. The programme offered tuition support, accommodation, health insurance, a stipend and university placement. This entry records the opening of applications, rather than selection results or an award to every applicant.
Istanbul Technical University published the 2026 application schedule for international research programmes supported by the Council of Higher Education. The announcement set out four application rounds through YÖKSİS, with planned support for 100 researchers under the Young Minds programme, 100 under postdoctoral research and 200 under the Academic Accumulation programme. These were announced funding targets, rather than a count of researchers who had already travelled or received payments.
Schools completed the first term of the 2025–2026 academic year on 16 January, with approximately 18 million pupils receiving reports before the semester break. Under the Türkiye Century Education Model, primary pupils in Grades 1 and 2 received development reports in place of conventional report cards. The reports included social and emotional learning skills. Schools held report ceremonies at the end of the term that had begun the previous September.
The Türkiye Scholarships website published the 2026 announcement for the joint programme with the Islamic Development Bank on 29 January. It specified an application period of 10 January–20 February and required candidates to select the joint programme in the application form. The scheme covered study from associate to doctoral level and targeted eligible applicants from member countries and Muslim communities, subject to the applicable countries and disciplines. Publication of the announcement was not a selection result or confirmation that every student was eligible.
February 2026
February includes the return to classes and further developments in the organisation of school and university education. Each entry must be read within the scope of the school, ministry, quality assurance body or application programme involved. Where an announcement names a later date, publication of the announcement remains the event recorded in this month.Approximately 18 million pupils returned after the semester break. The new term opened with a theme focusing on appreciation of the Turkish flag. The Minister of National Education visited Büyükhanlı Kardeşler Secondary School in Ankara and joined the opening lesson. Following guidance circulated to provincial authorities, public and private schools were to organise educational, artistic and cultural activities during the first week, developing pupils' knowledge of the flag and shared national belonging.
The Turkish Higher Education Quality Council and FIBAA signed a memorandum to strengthen international cooperation in quality assurance. The official report dates the visit and meeting to 25 February and publication to 26 February. Discussions concerned the exchange of experience, institutional relationships and a practical roadmap. The memorandum did not confer a new accreditation on every Turkish university or automatic recognition of all their degrees.
March 2026
March's entries concern the organisation of study, postgraduate education, examinations and quality assurance. The sequence distinguishes publication of a rule or guide from later results and implementation. Study periods and programme conditions remain tied to the particular group addressed by each announcement.An amendment published in the Official Gazette on 6 March allowed postgraduate students who had given birth to request two additional semesters after childbirth, without those semesters counting towards the maximum study period. A Council of Higher Education letter dated 1 April confirmed the provision. The official wording refers to two semesters, rather than two years. The extension is linked to a request under the provision and should not be described as automatic for every student.
The Higher Education Quality Council announced on 12 March that 39 universities had qualified for institutional accreditation following a council decision taken during March. The decision concerned the 2025 Institutional Accreditation Programme, with its outcome announced in 2026. This is therefore a development in the current year's record. The announcement establishes the number of accredited universities; it does not justify assuming one accreditation period for all of them or programme accreditation for every course they offer.
The Ministry published the minister's message after classes ended on Friday 13 March, as pupils entered the second-term break. He encouraged rest, reading, continued learning, exploring cities and spending time outdoors with friends, alongside reducing prolonged screen use. The message also referred to online professional development for teachers. The school calendar designated 16–20 March as the break itself.
The Ministry published the application and administration guide for the central secondary school entrance examination, opening electronic applications from 23 March to 10 April. For the first time, the guide provided for a food package between the two sessions when requested by a parent during registration. It also expanded arrangements for pupils with visual impairments, including individual rooms and additional time according to the case. Schools and guidance centres continued to coordinate pupils' examination needs.
The Executive Board of the Council of Higher Education decided on 24 March that the additional periods available following childbirth could, on request, extend research assistants' time in their posts where their maximum appointment period was still running. The Council of Higher Education’s letter dated 1 April states that previous maternity leave, unpaid leave or suspension of study did not in themselves rule out such a request. The clarification concerned a particular academic staff category, rather than a general change to every female employee's contract.
April 2026
April records documented procedures and examination announcements. Reading the announcement date alongside its substance matters: changing an examination date or explaining a procedure does not mean that the examination took place on the day of the announcement. Each development is presented within its own scope, without assuming an outcome the report did not state.The Ministry moved LGS from Sunday 14 June to Saturday 13 June 2026. It linked the decision to the overlap with Türkiye's match against Australia in the World Cup and the potential effects of celebrations, noise and congestion on pupils' concentration. The session times remained 09:30 and 11:30. Classes were suspended on 12 June to complete preparations, with administrative leave for teachers that day.
The Ministry published its 2026 announcement for voluntary transfers within provinces on 24 April, setting applications for 4–6 May. It explained institution preferences, ranking by service points and staffing needs, and length-of-service conditions for the categories covered. The recorded development was publication of the procedure and timetable. It concerned permanent teachers in public schools, rather than recruitment of new teachers or a completed transfer for everyone who applied.
ÖSYM announced completion of assessment for the first sitting of the examination for applicants from abroad and released results on 27 April. The announcement confirms that the examination took place on 12 April and that the results service opened at 15:00. This records publication of examination scores. University selection remained a separate stage; the announcement did not assign a place to a candidate or confirm admission to a particular programme.
May 2026
May's entries cover examinations, funding, programmes and results for which documentation was available. Each entry identifies whether the milestone was the opening of applications, release of results or announcement of a later timetable. Institutional funding outcomes and an announced entitlement remain different from completed registration or the actual start of study.The first sitting of ALES, the examination for academic staff and postgraduate admission, took place on 10 May. On the same day, ÖSYM published 10% of the question booklet and answer key for public access. Candidates could view the complete questions within their accounts until the end of 20 May. The completed milestone was the examination and publication of its material. Scores and decisions on postgraduate programme admission were separate later steps.
Istanbul Technical University announced the second AKAP, DOSAP and GEP round on 15 May, with applications scheduled for 18 May–5 June. The announcement addressed research assistants continuing or having completed a doctorate and academic staff meeting the programmes' conditions. It documented publication of the round and schedule, rather than acceptance of an individual, completed travel or payment. A planned results date must not be retold as an announcement that results had already been released.
Reviewing documents beside a laptop
June 2026
June includes the conclusion of school study and examination milestones leading into subsequent procedures. Examination dates remain separate from result publication dates because the two have different implications for pupils and families. An entry also retains the school year concerned, even when that year began in the previous calendar year.On 1 June, the Ministry of National Education announced the primary and secondary education scholarship examination results, reporting that 70,000 pupils had qualified following assessment. The examination had taken place on 26 April for Grades 5–8, preparatory classes and Grades 9–11, with 971,786 applicants. The Ministry made results available electronically and provided for objections through its designated system within five calendar days under the published announcement’s rules.
The Ministry confirmed completion of LGS on its revised date of 13 June and published the question booklets and answer keys. The examination was administered in 81 provinces and 920 districts in Türkiye, and through 11 overseas centres in eight countries. The verbal section contained 50 questions, while the numerical section contained 40 mathematics and science questions. More than one million pupils had registered for the examination that year.
YKS was held on 20 and 21 June, as confirmed by the later assessment and results announcement. The cycle included the basic proficiency test and the subject and language tests for candidates registered in the relevant tracks. The event recorded here is the June examination. Scores were released in July and placement results in August. Separating these stages makes clear that sitting an examination precedes assignment to a university place and completion of enrolment.
Schools completed the 2025–2026 year and issued pupil reports. The Minister of National Education attended the end-of-year ceremony at Medeni Berk Primary School in Bakırköy, Istanbul. He reported that more than 1.22 million middle school graduates would progress to upper secondary education, thanked teachers and wished pupils a productive holiday.
July 2026
July's entries form a sequence of examination results, admission procedures and education programme announcements. An exam score is not the same as subsequent institutional placement, and opening a preference window does not mean that enrolment is complete. Ordering events within the month helps readers see how the stages fit together.ÖSYM issued the application announcement for the second TR-YÖS sitting on 4 July. Its text specified applications from 9 July to 3 August and directed candidates to the sitting's guide. The examination was scheduled for 11 October and subsequently took place, as recorded in the October entry. This July milestone concerns publication of the application announcement. It remains distinct from the examination itself and from scores not yet released within this article's coverage period.
The Ministry released results for the June LGS examination, reporting attendance by 994,358 of 1,022,658 registered pupils, a participation rate of 97.23%. The 452 pupils who answered every question correctly received 500 points. The announcement also set secondary school preferences to open on 13 July and close at 17:00 on 27 July, before school placement. Examination results were available electronically.
Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University announced its main-list results for international associate and undergraduate applicants on 14 July, following assessment by its admissions committee. It explained access to the selection result and acceptance letter and set registration for 27–29 July with the prescribed documents and fees. Programmes requiring an aptitude test were distinguished separately. The outcome concerned this university and its programmes, rather than a common admission announcement for all Turkish universities.
ÖSYM announced on 21 July that assessment of the university entrance examinations held on 20 and 21 June was complete, making candidate results available in the official system. The cycle moved from taking the examinations to holding scores used for university selection. Scores preceded the central placement outcome announced in August. A score alone did not establish assignment to a programme or completed university enrolment.
ÖSYM opened higher education programme preferences at 11:45 on 29 July under the YKS programme and places guide. The announced window ran until 10 August through the candidate system or application, using electronic preferences. This entry records the stage of ranking programmes after scores became available. It preceded assignment of places and should not be read as an announcement that candidates had been admitted to universities.
August 2026
August covers results, placement, funding and preparation for later stages. A programme placement outcome differs from an institutional grant award, and both differ from a student's final enrolment. The entries therefore identify the institution or programme and the procedural stage, leaving individual circumstances to the relevant documents and institution's announcement.The Ministry announced initial secondary school placement results following preferences submitted by 1,029,595 pupils from 13 to 27 July under the central and local admission tracks. At this stage, 93.56% secured a place among their preferences. Examination-admitting schools filled 190,473 of 198,905 places, or 95.76%. Among pupils submitting central admission preferences, 89.84% obtained one of their first five choices.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University confirms that Law No. 7592 was published and entered into force on 9 August, adding provisional Article 85 to the Higher Education Law. It allows people meeting its conditions to apply to resume study or enrol after an earlier registration was not completed. The announcement gives a general deadline of 9 December, subject to conditions and exceptions. The application form and submission method in that source belong to the university and should not be generalised to every institution.
The Ministry published the first transfer round results on 10 August and the second on 14 August. Both followed the initial placement announced on the fifth, distinguishing examination scores from first placement and subsequent transfers. The second-round announcement also explained how pupils without a place could apply to provincial and district committees dealing with vacant places.
ÖSYM released results for the second ALES sitting on 14 August, after the examination on 2 August and completion of assessment. Candidates could access their scores through the official results service from 10:00. The result announcement establishes that the sitting occurred within the coverage period. Using the score for master's or doctoral study remained subject to the programme's conditions and the university's admissions procedure.
The Turkish National Agency published the 2026 results for higher education student and staff mobility projects under KA131. The announcement included accepted institutions and consortia, allocated grants, rejected consortium applications and the funding distribution method. The news archive confirms publication on 18 August. These were institutional funding results, rather than acceptance of an individual student or one common application window for all universities in Türkiye.
Central YKS placement was completed, and ÖSYM announced assignment of candidates to programmes on 18 August on the basis of scores and preferences. The announcement set university registration for 24–28 August and electronic registration for 24–26 August, with candidates to follow university document requirements. The result identified the programme in which a candidate had earned the right to register. It did not establish that every successful candidate had completed enrolment.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports announced on 19 August that the main dormitory application window for 2026–2027 would run from 25 to 29 August through e-Devlet. It identified newly admitted and continuing student categories and stated that other categories, including additional placement, transfer and postgraduate students, would be invited later. Publication of the application cycle and dates was the milestone. Dormitory allocation results and completed dormitory registration were separate later stages.
The National Agency announced completion of assessment for higher education student and staff mobility proposals involving third countries not associated with Erasmus+, under KA171. All 159 proposals passed the eligibility check and underwent content assessment; projects to receive funding were then selected under the criteria. Passing eligibility did not mean that all 159 proposals received a grant. The agency's archive confirms publication on 19 August, while individual participation remained a separate institutional process.
The Ministry circulated arrangements for the 2026–2027 year to provincial authorities. They covered school security, controlled entry and exit, and parent meetings through the school appointment system. The circular emphasised enrolment within designated residential catchment areas and prohibited compulsory registration charges in automatic e-Okul enrolment. It also maintained the prohibition on phone use in classrooms and reinforced guidance on responsible use of digital tools.
Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University published instructions on 31 August for undergraduate candidates officially assigned to it through the Council of Higher Education as Türkiye Scholarships or foreign government scholarship holders. Candidates were to create an account, complete the form for that category and visit the registration office with documents. This records the assignment and registration stage for that university's stated group. It does not establish the national announcement date for Türkiye Scholarships results.

September 2026
September connects the start of teaching with admissions, regulatory and support developments accompanying the new academic year. Where a decision explains closed programmes or return-to-study arrangements, it is presented as a specific development. It does not establish one uniform path for every programme or approval of every application.The Directorate of Credits and Dormitories announced the new year's dormitory application results on 8 September, with access through e-Devlet. Successful applicants had until 23:00 on 10 September to register, including the initial registration payment and electronic undertaking specified by the announcement. This establishes publication of accommodation allocation results. Completing registration remained a separate requirement; the appearance of a student's name did not show that registration or residence had begun.
The Executive Board of the Council of Higher Education updated the implementation rules on 9 September and circulated the update in a letter dated 14 September. The letter explained that university boards could set separate start dates for autumn and spring entrants according to their academic calendars. It also addressed postgraduate programmes that had closed or stopped accepting students. Procedures differed by study level and programme status. The entry records that clarification without promising every applicant a return to the same programme.
Classes began on 14 September for approximately 17 million pupils and 1.2 million teachers. The Ministry announced that the education model would cover primary Grades 1–3, middle school Grades 5–7, preparatory classes and secondary Grades 9–11. The report confirmed orientation activities from 7 to 11 September for preschool and Grades 1 and 5, and distribution of 283,354,674 free textbooks in public and private schools.
ÖSYM announced completion of additional university placement on 28 September and made the results available in the official system. University registration was scheduled for 2–9 October, with electronic registration on 2–4 October. Those announced windows had ended by the close of this article's coverage period. Publication of a placement result and the end of a registration period do not establish that every candidate completed enrolment.
Istanbul Technical University reported its academic year opening ceremony at the Ayazağa campus on 30 September. The programme included the rector's address and an opening lecture on preparing for the future, with emphasis on the university's integrated ecosystem. This was a particular university event within September's return to academic activity. It was not one national teaching start date for universities, which organise their own calendars and orientation programmes.
A student reviewing papers on a computer in a green space

October 2026
This section covers 1–12 October. Some entries concern statistics for an earlier school year or applications for examinations still to come. In those cases, the milestone is publication of statistics, an announcement or the opening of applications. Events after the coverage period remain prospective dates and are not counted as completed events.On 1 October, the Ministry of National Education announced the 2025–2026 formal education statistics report, whose official publication page is dated 30 September. Within the report’s scope, there were 17,704,308 pupils, 769,933 classrooms and 1,211,799 teachers in total. The data showed vocational and technical education’s share of formal upper secondary education rising from 37.56% to 39.51% compared with the previous year, alongside details by educational stage and province.
ÖSYM opened applications for 2026-YÖK-YKDS, the selection examination for doctoral programmes in priority fields, on 1 October at 15:30, through application centres, AİS or its application. The examination was scheduled for 28 November and remained prospective within this coverage period. An announcement on 8 October extended applications to 14 October 2026. That extension must be read alongside the original announcement: 8 October was no longer the current application deadline.
Istanbul Technical University announced its participation outcome on 6 October after TEKNOFEST took place from 30 September to 4 October at GAP Airport in Şanlıurfa. Its teams received 19 awards: ten first places, five second places, one third place and three doctoral science awards. This was the named university's outcome from a completed event. It was not the total awards across all universities or a count of everyone attending the festival.
The Directorate of Credits and Dormitories opened applications on 7 October for the specified groups, including additional placement, horizontal and vertical transfer, aptitude admission and postgraduate students. Applications used the study information registered in e-Devlet; errors needed correction through student affairs. The announced window closed at 23:59 on 9 October. By the end of this article's coverage period, that window had ended. The end of applications should not be mistaken for a published accommodation allocation result.
ÖSYM opened applications for the third ALES sitting at 16:00 on 7 October through application centres, its online system or application. The announced period ran until 15 October and was therefore still open at the end of this coverage period. The examination was scheduled for 29 November. This entry records the start of applications during October; sitting the examination and publication of scores remained later stages.
The General Directorate of Private Education Institutions announced that it had sent provincial authorities a clarification on implementation of an amendment to the private education law. It distinguished adding an unauthorised programme within the institution's existing type from operating a programme belonging to another type of institution. The latter required cancellation of the institution-opening permission and the workplace-opening and operating licence without a warning or graduated penalty. The Ministry emphasised keeping programmes within the institution's licensed type and approved activity.
ÖSYM confirmed that 2026-TR-YÖS/2 took place on 11 October and made 10% of the basic question booklet and answer key publicly available the same day. This was publication of examination material, rather than candidate scores. The examination calendar scheduled results for 5 November 2026, a date still ahead of this coverage period. Using a score in university admission remains a separate application process governed by the institution and programme.

Examination milestones still ahead
The table separates an application deadline, an examination and a result date. Scheduled dates should be checked against the latest announcement before acting.| Examination | Milestone | Announced date |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-YÖK-YKDS | Extended application deadline | 14 October 2026 |
| 2026-ALES/3 | Regular application deadline | 15 October 2026 |
| 2026-TR-YÖS/2 | Scheduled result announcement | 5 November 2026 |
| 2026-YÖK-YKDS | Scheduled examination | 28 November 2026 |
| 2026-ALES/3 | Scheduled examination | 29 November 2026 |

Reading the record for your stage of study
For families with schoolchildren, announcements about term dates, curricula, examinations and placements connect decisions to the relevant school stage. For university students, admission, results, scholarships, accommodation and international mobility appear as separate steps; opening applications is not final enrolment. Researchers and postgraduate students will be interested in research programme dates and amendments affecting a particular student or staff category, with the original regulation distinguished from later clarification.This version remains a chronological reference to the entries included through 12 October 2026. Read each item with its date, institution or programme, and treat later dates as what was announced at that point. If a timetable subsequently changes, the newest announcement guides the current action. The earlier announcement remains part of the year's record, rather than permanent instructions for a new application.
Related topics
- School Education in Türkiye: Stages and School Types
- Foreign Child Enrolment and School Transfers
- University Admission Tests in Türkiye: TR-YÖS, SAT and Languages
- University and Programme Recognition in Türkiye
- Scholarships in Türkiye 2026: Types, Requirements and Applications
- Student Housing in Türkiye: Options and Costs
- Recognition and Equivalence of Foreign Qualifications
- Language Tests for Study in Türkiye: Turkish, TOEFL and IELTS
- After TR-YÖS/2: Results and University Applications
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