A case study on the internationalization of higher education in Türkiye

Internationalization of higher education systems is a relatively new topic in Türkiye compared to the studies conducted worldwide. The purpose of this research is to reveal the current situation of higher education internationalization in Türkiye. The study examines the goals, strategies and policies related to the internationalization of higher education system in Türkiye, the current status of the activities carried out by various institutions and organizations to achieve these goals, and the impact of these activities on the current state of internationalization. The research was designed with case study design. Academic theses and articles related to the internationalization of higher education, public strategy documents, development plans, monitoring and evaluation reports, and the websites of relevant institutions and organizations were analyzed using document analysis technique. In addition to this review, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 8 people, including officials from the Council of Higher Education, Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), Turkish Maarif Foundation (TMV), Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), which were identified in the research as the main institutions and stakeholders in our country on this thesis. The research found that goals and strategies related to all dimensions of higher education have been identified within the Turkish higher education system. However, the focus in both goals and practice is predominantly on attracting international students to Türkiye. It has been determined that internationalisation activities carried out by institutions and organisations contribute significantly to the internationalisation of Turkish higher education. Some bureaucratic obstacles such as lack of financing and qualified human resources and misperceptions such as xenophobia have been identified as obstacles to attracting international students. It has been determined that institutions and organisations actively combat these problems with effective solutions. The research has revealed that Turkey has taken rapid and result-oriented steps in line with the targets set and the recommendations and assessments in the reports. In order to achieve a comprehensive internationalisation and progress in this field, it is recommended that internationalisation should be handled in a comprehensive manner and efforts should be made to address all dimensions instead of focusing on a single area in regulations.