Opinions of African students living in Eskisehir on the graduate education process

Purpose: The aim of the research is to determine the opinions of African students during their education in masters and doctoral programs in Eskişehir. Method: The research was carried out using the qualitative research method. The study group research consists of 27 African graduate students, 6 women, and 21 men, studying at Anadolu University, Eskişehir Technical University, and Eskişehir Osmangazi University in the 2021-2022 academic year. In order to collect the data, semi-structured interviews were prepared with the students who voluntarily participated in the research and 20 open-ended questions prepared by the researcher were asked. The results were coded with content analysis and categories and subcategories were created. Results: When the data obtained in the research were analyzed, the themes of the reasons why African students prefer Turkish higher education, African students' lives in Turkey, and their plans for the process after graduation were reached. Conclusion and Suggestions: As a result of the research, it was concluded that African students prefer Turkey because of the quality of education, they experience problems such as cultural and language differences, and the majority of the participants plan to leave Turkey after completing their education. Recommendations for researchers, students, and decision-makers are presented in line with these results. Keywords: Higher Education, Postgraduate education, African students, Qualitative research