Türkiye Introduces Student Amnesty Allowing Former University Students to Resume Their Studies

Türkiye has introduced an important higher education amnesty that will allow eligible former university students to return to higher education and continue their studies.

Under the new legislation adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), students whose enrolment at higher education institutions was previously terminated may be given an opportunity to regain their student status, subject to the conditions specified in the legislation.

The regulation covers students at different levels of higher education, including preparatory programmes, associate degree programmes, bachelor’s degree completion programmes, bachelor’s degrees and postgraduate programmes.

Importantly, the legislation also covers individuals who had previously earned the right to enrol in a higher education programme but failed to complete their university registration.

Who May Benefit?

Subject to the exclusions specified by law, the regulation may apply to individuals who:

• were dismissed or deregistered from a higher education institution for various reasons;
• voluntarily cancelled their university registration;
• were admitted to a university programme but failed to register;
• were unable to continue their studies at preparatory, associate, bachelor’s or postgraduate level.

Certain cases are excluded from the amnesty, including convictions for specified serious offences, termination of enrolment due to links with terrorist organisations, and cases involving fraudulent documents used for university registration.

Four-Month Application Period

Eligible individuals are required to apply to the university where their enrolment was terminated — or to the institution where they had previously obtained the right to register — within four months of the legislation entering into force.

Students whose applications are accepted will be able to resume their education in the 2026–2027 academic year, subject to the relevant academic and administrative procedures.

A Significant Second Chance for Former Students

The new regulation provides an important opportunity for individuals who had to discontinue their university education for academic, financial, personal or other reasons.

Former students who believe they may qualify are strongly advised to follow announcements issued by their universities and to contact the relevant university’s Student Affairs Office for detailed information regarding application procedures, required documents, course recognition and academic placement.

Eligible students should pay particular attention to the application deadline, as applications must be submitted within the period specified by the legislation.