Turkey's higher education board lowers university entrance exam threshold after Bahçeli's call

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Turkey's Council of Higher Education (YÖK) has lowered the university entrance exam threshold in line with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli's call. 

The threshold was set as 140 points for the Basic Proficiency Test (TYT) and 170 for the Field Qualification Tests (AYT) and Foreign Language Test (YDT).

Bahçeli recently called on the YÖK to lower the threshold, prompting the council to find a formula that will prevent vacancies in quotas. The threshold was decreased to 170 from 180 last year for four-year departments in line with the said aim. 

"Let's protect our youth who couldn't obtain the scores they wished for because of the pandemic," Bahçeli said. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also previously advocated for lowering the threshold, saying that "there was a problem with the exams this year." 

"I talked to our YÖK chief about this issue. They have carried out efforts to make sure that our youth don't suffer," he recently said. 

The YÖK took the fact that COVID-19 has led to setbacks in education into account, pro-government daily Sabah reported, adding that the lack of face-to-face education has also had negative effects. 

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