Turkey’s higher education boom: the ‘one university in every city’ policy in small cities

OpenAlex İngilizce

Over the past two decades, Turkey’s higher education system has undergone a massive and globally unprecedented transformation. Enrollment rates increased more than fivefold, driven by the government’s comprehensive policy of establishing ‘one university in every city.’ As a result, new universities were instituted in 41 small cities that previously lacked independent higher education infrastructure. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) governments framed this initiative as a key ideological distinction from their predecessors, emphasizing it as a cornerstone of their educational and social policy, particularly targeting small cities across the country as well as the country’s youth. While the ideological divergence between the AKP and prior governments played a critical role in justifying this expansion, the establishment of universities in small cities had both intended and unintended consequences. These institutions became place-making anchors in otherwise economically and demographically stagnant regions, fostering a new social life centered around the youth.