Turkey Education System (2026): Structure, Quality, and Performance

The Turkey education system is a nationally coordinated structure covering early childhood education, 12 years of compulsory schooling, vocational and technical routes, and higher education. The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) governs most preschool, primary and secondary education, while the Council of Higher Education oversees the higher-education system and ÖSYM administers national selection and placement examinations. The school structure follows the 4+4+4 model: four years of primary school, four years of lower secondary school and four years of upper secondary education. The latest annual MoNE statistical publication available as of September 2026 remains the 2024–2025 formal education dataset, while curriculum, examination and budget sections can be updated with 2026 information. [MoNE Statistics]

System Governance and Institutional Architecture

The Ministry of National Education establishes national curricula, school regulations, teacher policies, assessment rules and many funding arrangements for preschool through upper secondary education. Provincial and district directorates implement these rules locally, coordinate personnel and school operations, and manage administrative processes linked to enrollment, examinations and student records.

Higher education operates under a different governance structure. The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) coordinates the university system, while ÖSYM administers YKS and other large-scale selection examinations. The 2026 education budget presentation reported 208 higher-education institutions serving about 6.8 million students in the 2024–2025 academic year. The same presentation reported 186,349 academic staff in 2025. [MoNE]

Formal Education Structure and Compulsory Schooling

Compulsory schooling consists of 12 years divided into three four-year stages. MoNE statistical reporting uses theoretical age bands of approximately 6–9 for primary education, 10–13 for lower secondary education and 14–17 for upper secondary education. Preschool is outside the 12-year compulsory structure.

Latest Published School-System Scale

MoNE’s latest published annual formal-education statistics cover the 2024–2025 school year. The total reported student population was 17,956,523, including public, private and open-education enrollment. Of these students, 15,366,143 were in public education, 1,539,579 were in private education and 1,050,801 were in open education. [MoNE]

Primary education was the largest of the four level totals, with 5.70 million students. Lower secondary enrolled 5.18 million and upper secondary 5.33 million. Preschool enrolled 1.74 million children. These figures use MoNE’s annual statistical definitions and should not be combined with university enrollment because higher education is reported through separate systems.

The same annual publication recorded 74,040 schools and institutions, including 59,336 public and 14,700 private establishments. Formal education contained 753,571 classrooms: 618,860 in public institutions and 134,711 in private institutions. Total teacher employment was reported at 1,187,409 across public and private formal education.

Enrollment Rates and Participation

Net enrollment rates measure the proportion of the theoretical age group enrolled at the corresponding education level. In 2024–2025, the net enrollment rate was 82.53% for age 5 in preschool, 95.43% in primary education, 89.09% in lower secondary education and 82.85% in upper secondary education. MoNE also reported an adjusted upper-secondary net enrollment rate of 87.88% when age-group members enrolled in higher education are included.

The figures distinguish enrollment at the expected education level from participation elsewhere in the system. The adjusted upper-secondary indicator is therefore higher than the standard net rate because it also recognizes members of the upper-secondary age group who have already progressed into higher education.

Curriculum Reform: Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli

The largest current curriculum change is the phased implementation of the Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli. The new programs began in selected entry grades in 2024–2025 and have expanded by one grade level each school year. In the 2026–2027 school year, the model applies in primary Grades 1, 2 and 3, lower secondary Grades 5, 6 and 7, and upper-secondary preparatory classes plus Grades 9, 10 and 11. Grade 4, Grade 8 and Grade 12 continue under the previously applicable programs during this stage of the rollout. [MoNE Curriculum] [MoNE Curriculum]

The model organizes curriculum around learning outcomes, conceptual and subject-specific skills, social-emotional learning, literacy skills, values, differentiation and school-based planning. It also places more emphasis on process-based assessment rather than relying only on end-point testing. The reform does not replace the national examination system; LGS and YKS continue to operate as separate transition mechanisms.

MoNE also redesigned the Primary School Support Program (İYEP) for 2026–2027. The renewed program is being applied in Grades 2 and 3 to identify and address learning gaps in basic language and mathematics skills earlier in primary education. [MoNE]

Lower Secondary Transition and the 2026 LGS

LGS is not a universal high-school graduation examination. It is the central examination used for admission to designated upper-secondary schools that accept students by examination score. Students can also enter many secondary schools through local placement procedures.

The 2026 LGS central examination was administered on June 13, 2026. A total of 1,022,658 Grade 8 students applied and 994,358 participated, producing a participation rate of 97.23%. The first session contained 50 questions in Turkish, Turkish revolutionary history and Kemalism, religious culture and ethics, and foreign language, with 75 minutes allowed. The second session contained 40 mathematics and science questions with 80 minutes. [MoNE]

In 2026, 452 students received the maximum score of 500. In the first placement round, 190,473 students were placed in schools admitting through central-exam scores, and those examination-based quotas reached a 95.76% fill rate. Across examination-based and local-placement quotas combined, 963,322 placements were made against 1,259,614 available places in the first round. [MoNE]

Upper Secondary Pathways

Upper secondary education includes general academic, vocational and technical, and religious education routes. The 2024–2025 statistical publication recorded 5,328,812 upper-secondary students when public, private and open education were combined.

General upper secondary was the largest route, accounting for roughly three-fifths of students in the three main categories. Vocational and technical education enrolled 1.68 million students. Curriculum needs differ substantially across these routes because vocational programs require occupational subjects, workshops, laboratories and workplace training arrangements in addition to general education.

Vocational and Technical Education

Vocational and technical secondary education combines general subjects with occupational fields. Programs are delivered through vocational and technical Anatolian high schools, multi-program schools, vocational education centers and other structures. Students can acquire occupation-specific competencies while retaining access to higher education through YKS.

Workplace learning is especially relevant in vocational education centers and programs requiring enterprise-based skills training. Because practical requirements differ by occupation, vocational education uses more specialized facilities and equipment than general secondary schooling and depends on coordination between schools and employers.

2026 YKS and University Admission

The Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) is the central mechanism for entry into most undergraduate and associate-degree programs. ÖSYM administered the 2026 examination on June 20–21, 2026. The first session, TYT, contained 120 questions: 40 Turkish, 20 Social Sciences, 40 Basic Mathematics and 20 Science questions, with 165 minutes allowed. AYT and YDT were held the following day for candidates using field and foreign-language score types. [ÖSYM]

In 2026, 2,425,627 candidates applied for TYT and 2,255,076 attended. AYT received 1,627,970 applications and 1,473,113 candidates attended. YDT received 203,640 applications and 143,270 candidates attended. Results were released on July 21, followed by central placement results on August 18. [ÖSYM]

The sessions serve different purposes and should not be added together to estimate unique candidates because many applicants register for more than one YKS session. TYT participation was the broadest because TYT scores are used across several admission routes, while AYT and YDT participation depends on intended degree programs and score types.

Teacher Workforce and Learning Environment

The 2024–2025 school statistics recorded 1,187,409 teachers in formal education, including 1,009,671 in public institutions and 177,738 in private institutions. Women accounted for 732,056 teachers and men for 455,353. Teacher distribution differs considerably by level, field and institution type because preschool, primary, subject teaching and vocational fields use different staffing structures.

National indicators reported 18 students per teacher in primary education, 13 in lower secondary education and 11 in upper secondary education in the annual statistical series. Classroom density was reported at about 23 students per classroom in primary education and 20 in upper secondary education.

OECD’s internationally harmonized measure uses a different definition from the MoNE administrative ratios. In Education at a Glance 2025, the average primary class size in Türkiye was 20.6 students in 2023, down by 2.5 students from 2013. OECD also reports 720 hours of annual compulsory instruction in primary education and 843 hours in lower secondary education, compared with OECD averages of 804 and 909 hours. [OECD]

Student Support and Access

Access policies include scholarships, transported education, boarding facilities, special education and free learning materials. In 2024–2025, MoNE reported 344,770 scholarship recipients. Transport services reached 564,651 students at primary and lower-secondary levels and 281,517 students in upper secondary education. Residential provision included 2,948 boarding facilities with capacity of roughly half a million students.

Special education is delivered through mainstream inclusion, special classes and dedicated schools according to student needs. The system also funds private special-education and rehabilitation services for eligible learners. Support arrangements are administered separately from the general enrollment statistics, so counts should be compared only when the same student and institution definitions are used.

Digital Learning and National Platforms

MoNE’s digital infrastructure includes the Education Information Network (EBA) and other national systems used for learning content, school administration and data management. In 2025, the Ministry also established an Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Applications Department within its innovation and education technology structure, expanding work on digital learning, artificial intelligence and data-supported decision making. [MoNE]

Digital platforms function alongside classroom teaching rather than replacing the standard school pathway. Their main system roles include curriculum resources, online exercises, teacher materials, communication and centralized access to learning content.

PISA 2025: Mathematics, Reading, and Science

PISA 2025 is now the latest international assessment cycle. Türkiye averaged 462 points in mathematics, 472 in reading and 494 in science. OECD averages were 463, 461 and 482 respectively. Türkiye therefore performed statistically close to the OECD average in mathematics and above the OECD average in reading and science. [OECD PISA]

The 2025 results increased in all three domains compared with 2022. Mathematics rose from 453 to 462, reading from 456 to 472 and science from 476 to 494. Türkiye was among the relatively small group of participating systems where performance improved in all three subjects between the two cycles.

The longer trend differs by subject. From 2015 to 2025, Türkiye gained 42 points in mathematics, 44 points in reading and 69 points in science. OECD reports that the proportion of students below Level 2 also fell substantially over that ten-year period: by 16 percentage points in mathematics, 16 points in reading and 25 points in science.

Baseline proficiency exceeded the OECD average in reading and science and was close to the OECD average in mathematics. Top-performer shares matched the OECD average in mathematics and science but remained lower in reading. PISA 2025 also introduced computational problem solving; Türkiye’s mean in that domain was below the OECD average.

Higher Education: Scale, Completion, and Internationalization

The 2026 education budget presentation reported approximately 6.8 million students in 208 higher-education institutions for the 2024–2025 academic year. These institutions included 129 state institutions, 75 foundation institutions and four foundation vocational schools. Open and distance education accounts for a substantial part of the national university student population, so total enrollment is much larger than the face-to-face undergraduate population alone.

OECD’s Education at a Glance 2025 profile reports strong bachelor’s completion indicators. Among first-time bachelor’s entrants, 64% completed within the theoretical program duration, 78% within one additional year and 86% within three additional years. The corresponding OECD averages were 43%, 59% and 70%. First-year dropout was reported at only 1%, compared with an OECD average of 13%. [OECD]

International students accounted for 4.3% of tertiary enrollment in 2023, up from 1.7% in 2013. Among 25–34-year-olds, only 3% held a master’s or equivalent qualification in the latest OECD profile, compared with 16% across the OECD. The share of young adults without upper-secondary attainment declined from 41% in 2019 to 28% in 2024.

Education Finance and the 2026 Budget

The 2026 Ministry of National Education budget is TRY 1.944 trillion. When MoNE, universities, YÖK, ÖSYM, YÖKAK and the Credit and Hostels General Directorate are combined, the broader education budget reaches TRY 2.905 trillion, equivalent to 15.33% of the central government budget. [MoNE]

Domestic budget totals and OECD expenditure indicators measure different things. OECD’s internationally comparable 2022 measure reports government expenditure of USD 3,374 per full-time-equivalent student from primary through post-secondary non-tertiary education and USD 7,698 per tertiary student, with research and development included in the tertiary figure. Investment across primary through tertiary education was 3.4% of GDP, compared with an OECD average of 4.7%.

Government sources provided 83.6% of funding for primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education, while public funding represented 71.1% of tertiary funding in the OECD measure. Between 2015 and 2022, overall government expenditure per student across primary through tertiary education decreased in real terms from USD 4,932 to USD 4,491, while education’s share of public budgets fell from 12.9% to 10.6%.

Non-Formal Education and Lifelong Learning

MoNE also operates a large non-formal education network through public education centers, vocational and technical courses, open education and other lifelong-learning arrangements. Provision serves adults and young people outside standard age-grade progression and covers literacy, occupational development, personal skills, language, arts and other areas.

The 2026 MoNE budget allocates TRY 42.21 billion to the lifelong-learning program. Non-formal education figures should be kept separate from formal-school enrollment because participants can enroll in multiple courses and the administrative unit is often a course or participation record rather than a unique school student.

Official Data and Measurement

MoNE’s Strategy Development Directorate publishes the annual National Education Statistics: Formal Education series under Türkiye’s Official Statistics Program. The publication contains school, classroom, teacher, student, graduate, new-enrollment, scholarship, boarding and participation indicators. As of September 2026, the official statistics portal lists 2024–2025 as the latest completed annual formal-education publication. [MoNE Statistics]

Current-policy sections therefore need different reference dates. The annual school-scale tables use 2024–2025, the current curriculum section uses the 2026–2027 school year, LGS and YKS use their 2026 examination cycles, the national budget uses fiscal year 2026, and PISA uses the newly released 2025 assessment cycle. Keeping those reference periods explicit avoids treating data from different reporting systems as if they describe the same date.

Australia

17 comparisons

Canada

17 comparisons

China

17 comparisons

Denmark

17 comparisons

Estonia

17 comparisons

Finland

17 comparisons

France

17 comparisons

Germany

17 comparisons

Indonesia

17 comparisons

Japan

17 comparisons

Netherlands

17 comparisons

Singapore

17 comparisons

South Korea

17 comparisons

Sweden

17 comparisons

Switzerland

17 comparisons

Turkey

17 comparisons

United Kingdom

17 comparisons

US

17 comparisons