A new academic year starts at universities. While a hybrid face-to-face and online education system will be applied in state universities, a purely online education will be applied to foundation universities.

The tuition fees for the new term at foundation universities have also been announced. There is an average increase of more than 10 percent in the new term tuition fee lists. Students at foundation universities are opposing these decisions and try to make their voices heard through organizing social media campaigns. 

Foundation universities students raise their voices

Yeditepe University students demanded the withdrawal of the tuition fee increases with the hashtag #YeditepeliHakkınıAriyor. (1) Özyeğin University students also reacted with the hashtag #OzUIndirimYap (2) to the University administration’s announcement of price hikes before announcing the education model and the high fee increases. Bilgi University students also react through the “Bilgili Susmuyor Platformu” (3), which they established to solve problems experienced within the university.

#OnlineEğitimdeZamOlmaz (4)

Last term, the students studying at foundation universities established the Foundation Universities Committee to resolve issues faced by all foundation university students. Yeditepe Community (Yeditepe Topluluğu), Bilgili Susmuyor Platformu, Özyeğin Committee (Özyeğin Komitesi) and Foundation Universities Committee (Vakıf Üniversiteleri Komitesi) came together quickly and carried out a hashtag campaign. Students object to the fact that the price increases/hikes are the same or even higher than the previous terms by using the hashtag #OnlineEğitimdeZamOlmaz. The students stated that they will not accept the increase in tuition fees at a time when universities are also offering a  decrease in the efficiency of education and while students are  to benefit from the campus facilities.

(1) #YeditepeliHakkınıArıyor: Yeditepe University students claim their rights.

(2) #ÖzUİndirimYap: Özyeğin University Administration should reduce the tuition fee.

(3) Bilgili Susmuyor Platformu: Bilgi University Students Does Not Keep Quiet Platform

(4) #OnlineEğitimdeZamOlmaz: Online tuition fees should not be raised.