Bahçeşehir University Became the Education Champion of 2020!

The Service Exporters' Association (HİB) announced the 2020 Export Champions. Bahçeşehir University was the export champion in the "Educational Services" category.

Companies whose successful performance in 2020, despite the pandemic, enabled the sector to achieve approximately USD 35 billion in exports and an USD 11.5 billion foreign trade surplus were awarded for their success. The top 3 companies in 17 categories made up of the sub-sectors within HİB were presented with plaques for their achievements.
The top award for exports in educational services went to Bahçeşehir University, which hosts nearly 6,500 international students from 123 different countries. Offering educational opportunities to thousands of international students every year, BAU is among the universities most preferred by thousands of students from abroad thanks to the advantages of its many departments.

"We Will Continue to Contribute to Our Country's Economy and Regional Leadership"

Enver Yücel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of BAU, Türkiye's export champion in Educational Services, said: "Education is the only export with no import share. As a university, we are aware of the importance of international student admissions for our country. We should not think of this only as an economic return; we must also remember that, in line with Türkiye's vision of being the leading country in the region, it means that the people who come here are educated with Turkish culture and reflect this culture when they return to their countries. When these people begin managing their companies or become political or economic leaders of their countries, they will spread Türkiye's vision in their countries. We know that the United States has been doing this all over the world through education for centuries. Therefore, as we increase our number of international students through education, we see this as work that will be reflected in both Türkiye's economy and its regional leadership."

"English-Medium Education at Universities Will Be Effective in Attracting International Students"

Underlining that, according to World Bank data, an international student brings nearly USD 30,000 a year into the country, Yücel said: "When we count every item, such as transportation and accommodation, this is actually a very large figure. In line with the target set by our President, Türkiye must move toward the goal of 500,000 students. It currently has more than 200,000 international students. Türkiye has many opportunities in this respect. The biggest advantage is that our country is within a 4-hour flight of nearly 60 countries. Therefore, it is easy for international students to reach, and as a gateway to Europe, we are a country of critical importance for many young people to reach Europe and continue their education there. By using these advantages, we can very easily bring our number of international students to 500,000. The vision of the government and of YÖK is sufficient in this regard. Universities need to work a little harder. The most critical point here is internationally recognized English-medium education. English-medium education at universities will be effective in attracting international students."

Finally, stating that several goals should be set when admitting international students, Yücel concluded: "The first is to increase their number and contribute to our exports, that is, to the revenue Türkiye earns. The second is that Türkiye should be more careful about admitting quality students. In this respect, we recommend introducing rules with certain criteria in some fields, especially Medicine, Dentistry and Engineering. We believe the education sector is one of the most important sectors for realizing our future economic vision. Education is a sector that changes our society, and universities are its driving force. It is important to develop our universities in line with an international identity."