Row over admissions despite negative scores

ANKARA

Controversy is mounting over Türkiye's university entrance exam system amid allegations that students with negative scores are being admitted to universities, a claim the higher education authority strongly denies.

In Türkiye, university placements hinge on performance in a nationwide, multi-stage exam conducted annually. However, recent local media reports allege that candidates with negative scores, due to answering more questions incorrectly than correctly, are being admitted to lower-tier universities.

For example, a recent media report highlighted a situation where a student, despite receiving negative scores in physics could still be eligible to pursue the subject at a lesser-known university. Education experts argue that the growing number of universities and programs across the country has sparked concerns about the quality of higher education.

"It is unfeasible for candidates with minus points to have their score calculated,” read a statement by Türkiye’s Council of Higher Education (YÖK).

Local media reports claimed that around 203 departments, including four-year undergraduate degrees, admitted students with zero or minus scores.

Reports also showed that some individuals were admitted to programs such as pathology laboratory procedures despite scoring -12.5, dialysis with a score of -8.75, and physiotherapy with -8. Others were admitted to the Turkish Language and Literature department despite receiving a negative score in the Turkish section of the exam.

Some of these students were enrolled at foundation institutions, with several even granted scholarships, according to the reports.

"The basic proficiency test score is determined by the candidate's responses to the sections of Turkish and basic mathematics, as per the new test system that has been in use since 2018. Candidates who receive a raw score of 0.5 or higher on at least one of these two tests have their TYT score calculated,” YÖK’s statement read.