YÖK: All newly opened employment-focused programs are full

According to a statement from the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), according to the placement results of the Higher Education Institutions Exam (2025-YKS), all quotas for 27 employment-focused programs, including three undergraduate and 24 associate degree programs focused on future professions, have been filled. The newly opened programs have attracted considerable interest from candidates, and a total of 4,592 students have been placed in these programs.

USUALLY THE FIRST CHOICE

New employment-focused programs in health, agriculture, digital transformation, informatics, artificial intelligence, green skills, and the environment and energy fields have attracted significant interest from candidates. This year, candidates with high scores and rankings were placed in newly opened departments. These departments were often listed as top choices. The respective departments were observed to have high minimum scores and rankings. High-scoring candidates, eligible for placement in many faculties, including engineering, chose new associate degree programs focused on informatics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, green skills, and digital transformation in health and agriculture.

TELE-HEALTH ASSOCIATE DEGREE COME TO THE FORE

Looking at university-based preferences, three of the five most preferred departments in vocational school (Vocational School) programs were new Telehealth associate degree programs opened this year. Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University's Telehealth Technician program was the third most preferred program with 8,968 applicants, while Giresun University's Telehealth program ranked fourth with 8,628 applicants, and Bartın University's Telehealth program ranked fifth with 8,419 applicants.

Among the newly opened associate degree programs, the Digital Health Systems Technician program received the highest score. Candidates who scored 445 on the Basic Proficiency Test (TYT) and were ranked in the 60,000-ranked category chose the Digital Health Systems Technician program, while those who scored 428 and were ranked in the 92,000-ranked category were placed in the Environmental Health and Environmental Risk Management Technician program. Among the other newly opened programs, candidates who scored 419 on the Medical Data Processing Technician program, Telehealth Technician and Optoelectronics and Electro-Optical Technologies programs, were accepted with 401 TYT scores.

MOST PREFERRED PROGRAM

A total of 240,000 candidates included newly opened programs in their preferences, with nearly half of those placed placing these programs among their top five choices. The Medical Data Processing Technician program was the most preferred program among the vocational school departments offered for the first time this year. 36,751 candidates included this program in their preferences. This was followed by Telehealth Technicians (26,250 candidates), Digital Health Systems Technician (18,206 candidates), Office Technologies and Data Management (10,468 candidates), Renewable Energy Technician (9,556 candidates), and Aviation Electronics Technologies (5,070 candidates).

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENGINEERING HAS TOOK TOP 200 STUDENTS

Last year's artificial intelligence engineering program was the preferred program for candidates with the highest scores. Candidates who achieved a 102nd numerical score were accepted into Istanbul Technical University's Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering program, while candidates ranked 146th, 152nd, 178th, and 203rd were accepted into Medipol University's Artificial Intelligence Engineering program (with a scholarship).

In a written statement, YÖK President Erol Özvar stated that the innovative approaches and strategic goals they set for the future of the higher education system, in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's "Turkish Century" vision, have met with significant response from candidates. Özvar said, "We are pleased that the transformation efforts we are undertaking in our higher education system have met with significant response from our candidates."

'OUR YOUTH MADE VERY CONSCIOUS CHOICES'

Özvar stated that they have been making adjustments to the quotas of programs with decreasing demand and weakened employment links at universities for the past three years, and that they organize the programs by taking into account the expectations, demands, and trends of candidates. He continued: "We are implementing new programs that prioritize employment and are integrated with current trends, especially in informatics, artificial intelligence, green transformation, and digital transformation in healthcare and agriculture. Last year, we implemented 17 different programs based on artificial intelligence and digital technologies at more than 20 of our universities. Not a single quota was left vacant in these programs. This year, we have expanded these programs to nearly 100 universities. In addition, this year, we have offered 27 new programs focused on the professions of the future, which align with our country's development strategies, to our students for the first time. We are very pleased that the quotas for these new programs, which are aligned with the expectations of the labor market, focused on the professions of the future, and focused on employment, have been completely filled. The top ten choices are usually made based on dreams. This year, candidates made very conscious choices regarding the professions of the future and showed great interest in profession-focused programs. The program preference trends are in full compliance with the strategy followed by the Council of Higher Education in recent years."

'INTEREST IN RENEWED VOCATIONAL SCHOOL IS INCREASING'

Özvar reminded that they have initiated a new era in vocational schools that is compatible with sectoral needs and that they have renewed the programs and curricula in cooperation with the industry and the labor market, adding, "Interest in the renewed vocational schools is gradually increasing."

Özvar stated that students are highly skilled in predicting the future, saying, "We have full confidence that the vocational schools we have opened for the new professions of the age will offer significant career opportunities to our youth. These programs will contribute to our goals of keeping pace with rapid changes in information and technology and increasing our country's global competitiveness."

DHA

Reporter: News Center