Turkey Once Again: Alumni Reunion

Turkey Graduates Meet in İstanbul

Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) brings together Turkey Alumni who returned to their mother country after graduating from various universities in Turkey with the program "Turkey Once Again: Alumni Reunion" in Istanbul. The program will be attended by thousands of graduates from all over the world.

Turkey, which has become an important center for higher education throughout the region in recent years, offers educational opportunities in the field of higher education to students from all over the world through its "Turkey Scholarships" program and graduates thousands every year. Graduates who got back to their countries after graduating from various universities in Turkey and receiving education at their undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels, both contribute to the development of their societies and also establish friendship bridges between our country and their own countries. In the field of higher education, Turkey has received applications from almost every country in the world this current year and successfully graduated 7 thousand 500 students in the last educational period. With all of these students, the heartfelt ambassadors of Turkey "Turkey Alumni" spread to 160 countries and constitute a large family with close to 150 members.

We Will Contribute to Stability and Development with Our Graduates

Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) never stand apart from its graduates who returned to their countries after graduation, strengthens contacts by organizing events such as alumni meeting programs and as a result, eventually, contributes to political, cultural, economic and commercial ties. Within this framework YTB initiated Turkish Alumni programs which will get the alumni together in 50 countries in 2017 and it is aimed to have these meetings annually. So far, 36 meetings have been held in 26 countries by YTB and efforts are being carried out to reconnect with our graduates and contribute to global peace, stability and development together.

Turkish Alumni Family Meets in Istanbul

After alumni meetings were held all over the world, on the 25th anniversary of the scholarship program which had been launched by Turkey in 1992, YTB is getting Turkey Graduates together in Istanbul, who graduated in various universities in Turkey and returned to their countries. With the "Turkey Once Again: Alumni Reunion" which will be held in Istanbul on 25 November 2017 under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Turkey, will reconnect approximately 150 thousand Turkish Graduates in 160 countries of the world.

Laying The Foundation of a Common Future

Turkey is laying the foundation of a common future while hosting international students from all over the world. The "Grand Student Project", in which the guest student journey is based on by centuries ago, has been given an identity as a state policy and was passed on in 1992 with the initiatives of the late President Turgut Ozal. By the enhanced caliber of Turkey’s new global perspective and regional policy, Turkey’s international student policy was obliged to change. With the instruction given by the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his Prime Ministry period, the "Grand Student Project" has been restructured under the name of "Turkey Scholarships" by 2012 and has become compatible with the global vision. After the creation of the Turkey Scholarships brand in 2012 by YTB, the number of those who want to receive education in Turkey gradually increased and thereafter Turkey Scholarships promotions and efforts to grant scholarships has begun within 160 countries. Over the past five years, the number of international students studying in Turkey has increased fourfold compared to the numbers of the previous term. Finally, the number of applications from 163 countries has reached to 106,550 as of this coming academic year. Currently, approximately 108,000 international students are studying in our country. 16 thousand 817 of them continue their education as scholarship students.

Graduate Associations Will Contribution Relationship Between Two Countries

One of the most important work carried out under the Turkish Alumni Program is the establishment of Alumni Associations of Turkey. Through this study, it is aimed to strengthen the contacts with Turkish Alumni in 160 countries of the world and to establish a global graduate network. The alumni associations to be established in the countries where our alumni live, will contribute to the development of political, cultural, economic and commercial relations between two countries, and at the same time it will create a great synergy between our public/private institutions and our graduates. For this purpose, in 2017, it is envisaged to complete the foundation of Alumni Associations in 40 countries. As of October, a formal process has been launched to establish associations in 17 countries.