CoHE President Özvar's Message to YKS Candidates
June 03, 2025
President of the Council of Higher Education Erol Özvar published a message
for the candidates who will take the Higher Education Institutions
Examination (YKS) to be held on June 21-22 and their families.
Wishing success to the candidates and giving advice, Özvar drew attention
to the new employment-oriented higher education policies of the Council of
Higher Education.
Stating that 2 million 560 thousand 640 people applied to YKS this year, 1
million 375 thousand 383 of them were girls and 1 million 185 thousand 257
of them were boys, Özvar reported that the number of candidates applying
for the Field Proficiency Test (AYT) was 1 million 721 thousand 52 and the
number of applicants for the Foreign Language Test (YDT) was 215 thousand
447.
Özvar announced that the number of students studying in the last year of a
secondary education institution is 831 thousand 487 and the number of
candidates who have not been placed in any higher education program in the
past after graduating from a secondary education institution is 1 million
102 thousand 955.
Stating that the candidates went through a difficult and intensive
preparation process, Özvar addressed them as follows:
“I know very well the effort and determination you have shown in this
process. We share your excitement wholeheartedly and we are working
non-stop like you to build your future with confidence.
University life is not only an educational process but also an opportunity
to discover yourself, develop your talents and take firm steps towards the
future. In addition to increasing your knowledge and skills at university,
you should aim to expand your social circle, gain different perspectives,
develop yourself further and prepare for life as responsible individuals.”
Özvar stated that the Council of Higher Education prioritizes not only the
placement of young people in universities but also their ability to join
the workforce easily by increasing their knowledge, skills and
competencies, and said, “We have made all the necessary preparations for
your university life, from your access to a quality higher education to
your graduation as competent and well-equipped individuals.
In this direction, Özvar stated that they opened new and dynamic
departments that meet the needs of the labor market and sectors, meet the
requirements of the era, and that program options with rich content and a
wide range of opportunities await the candidates, and gave the following
information to the candidates:
“We have taken important steps in information-based technologies,
especially artificial intelligence. Now, we continue to increase the number
of IT and AI-based education options by opening new programs in these
fields and strengthening the existing ones.
We are increasing the number of programs in the field of cyber security.
We are also developing innovative education models to support digital
transformation in health and agriculture. We are also mobilizing to open
programs and renew curricula in the field of green and sustainable
technologies.
New programs in strategic areas such as climate change, sustainability
management, renewable energy technologies, environment and resource
management, sustainable agriculture and food systems, and green economy are
waiting for you at Turkish universities.
I would like you to know that we will offer you a quality and well-equipped
higher education life and that we are in a great effort and excitement with
all our universities to ensure that you graduate as individuals who will
shape the future of our country.”
Asking the candidates to focus only on the exam, Özvar said, “I sincerely
believe that you will do your best. It will be a great happiness and a
source of pride for us to see you among us in our universities.”
Addressing the families of the candidates who will take the exam, Özvar
said, “The effort and support you have shown for your children has been
their greatest assurance. It is extremely important to make them feel that
we trust them and ease their test anxiety. Even telling them that you are
by their side will increase their self-confidence. YKS is just one stop in
their lives; whatever the result, they have a long future ahead of them,
full of opportunities. As long as we continue to trust and support them,
there is no doubt that they will succeed. We trust and believe in the
candidates.”
Özvar wished all candidates who will take the exam great success and
congratulated them and their families on Eid al-Adha.