Turkish universities have seen a sharp increase in the number of international students attending their universities. This growth has resulted in a $1 billion industry in Turkey and the number is projected to grow almost double by 2023.
The market for international students has been growing steadily over the years. In 2010, for instance, it was estimated that 2 million students were studying abroad as international students. This number has risen to over 5 million today, and the growth is projected to continue increasing.
Turkey has been one of the countries that has seen enjoyed this growth in international students. It is estimated that there are 170,000 international students that are studying in Turkey today. This is according to Elif Deveci, the deputy general manager of International Education Fairs of Turkey (IEFT).
These students are spread across the 206 Turkish Universities across the countries and Elif estimated that these students are adding a total of $1billion to the economy of turkey. The total average amount spent by these students is around $7,000 according to Elif who was speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA).
International students growth projection
Turkey also projected that it expects these figures to rise in the coming years. They have estimated that in 2023, the number of international students in Turkey will be over 350,000, almost 2 times the current figure.
The growth of the Turkish foreign students has been contributed mostly by the Muslim countries that are continually favouring Turkey as their top priority for higher learning. Elif said,
Countries such as Syria, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan are sending the largest numbers of students. As for the education itself, departments related to health and business attract greater attention.
The government has been praised for its long term commitment in promoting the education system in the country. In the 2000s, there were less than 100 universities in the countries. Turkey was also not in anyone’s list of travelling for education. However, this has changed dramatically with an increase of universities to 206 and currently Turkey ranking 12 worldwide as a top destination for foreign students.
This could not have been possible without consistent efforts and investment from the government. The change in education policy and system was a major factor for this progress and Elif noted that foreign policy also contributed to this growth.
