President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday highlighted the expansion of Türkiye’s higher education system over the past 24 years, saying his government had significantly increased access to universities, student housing and scholarships.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2026-2027 academic year in Ankara, Erdoğan said his government viewed investment in education as an investment in people and the country's future.

He said the number of universities in Türkiye had risen from 76 when his government came to power to 208, while the number of student dormitories had increased from 190 to 877.

Dormitory capacity had also risen from 182,000 beds to 1 million, Erdoğan said.

"Some insist on handling this issue from a superficial and sinister perspective. We, however, see this gain as critically important in terms of access to higher education," he said.

Erdoğan contrasted Türkiye's higher education system with what he described as the high cost of university education in many Western countries, saying students elsewhere can graduate with heavy debts that take years to repay.

"We have brought a highly qualified higher education process to every corner of Anatolia," Erdoğan said.

He said the government had sought to ensure that students could pursue higher education regardless of their family's income level or where they lived.

"We aimed to make sure that while the children of the rich received education, those of the poor didn’t miss out on higher education opportunities, postpone their university dreams, or start life 5-0 behind," he said.

Erdoğan also pointed to the abolition of university registration fees and increases in scholarships for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students.

He said the government had upgraded the infrastructure of universities and student dormitories, improved their physical facilities and expanded their digital capabilities.

The president said the measures were part of broader efforts to make higher education more accessible and reduce financial barriers for students across Türkiye. (ILKHA)