The 2026 Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) placement results once again revealed the changing priorities of candidates in their university and department preferences.
Evaluating the 2026 YKS placement results, Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan stated that a significant change in mindset has occurred in young people's university preferences. Özgür Akoğlan said, “The 2026 YKS placement results present a strong picture where candidates prioritize employment opportunities and rational preference strategies, with record occupancy rates recorded in public universities.”
Stating that approximately 52 percent of the placed candidates consisted of the graduate group, Özgür Akoğlan commented, “The fact that more than 45 percent of final-year students who gained the right to choose did not make a preference, postponing their goals to the next year, constituted one of the most prominent dynamics of the period.”
Özgür Akoğlan, Expert Psychological Counselor and Manager of Üsküdar University Educational Institutions and Guidance Services, evaluated the 2026 Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) placement results.
Candidates are now also thinking about what they will do when they graduate
Reminding that approximately 2 million 255 thousand candidates took the exam, Özgür Akoğlan said, “The 2026 YKS placement results present a strong picture where candidates prioritize employment opportunities and rational preference strategies, with record occupancy rates recorded in public universities. Out of approximately 2 million 255 thousand candidates who took the exam, 1 million 279 thousand 439 made preferences; a total of 730 thousand 854 students were placed in higher education institutions, including open and distance learning.”
Candidates who had the right to choose but did not make a preference drew attention
Stating that approximately 52 percent of the placed candidates consisted of the graduate group, Özgür Akoğlan said the following:
“The fact that approximately 52 percent of the placed candidates consisted of the graduate group and that more than 45 percent of final-year students who gained the right to choose did not make a preference, postponing their goals to the next year, constituted one of the most prominent dynamics of the period. The placement of 40 percent of the candidates in their first three preferences and 55 percent in their first five preferences indicates that the prepared lists were quite strategic and accurate.”
Interest in two-year technical education increased
Stating that the occupancy rate in formal programs of public universities reached 99.52 percent, Akoğlan said, “When occupancy rates are evaluated according to university and program types, it is seen that the demand for public universities has peaked. While the occupancy rate in formal programs of public universities was 99.52 percent, only 37 of the 481 thousand quotas opened in public vocational schools remained empty, which has been concrete proof of the interest in two-year technical education. Due to increasing education costs, the occupancy rate in foundation universities remained at 79.70 percent, and the majority of the approximately 35 thousand empty quotas nationwide consisted of paid and partial scholarship programs of foundation institutions.”
Interest in medicine and health fields continues
Stating that the quotas for traditional professional fields such as Medicine, Law, Dentistry, and Pharmacy, where success ranking thresholds are applied, were completely filled in public universities, Akoğlan continued as follows:
“In department-based trends, traditional career fields such as Medicine, Law, Dentistry, and Pharmacy, which have success ranking thresholds, completely filled all their quotas in public universities. While occupancy in engineering faculties exceeded 98 percent; basic sciences such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and basic education and teaching programs did not have any vacancies. At the associate degree level, branches directly oriented towards the labor market and field applications, such as Pharmaceutical Production Technology, Paramedic, Information Security, and Mechatronics, were among the most demanded fields.”
High interest in artificial intelligence programs
Stating that one of the most striking results of the 2026 YKS was observed in programs in the field of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, Özgür Akoğlan concluded his words by saying, “Professional future assurance and digital transformation have become the primary decision mechanism in young people's preferences. Accordingly, one hundred percent occupancy has been achieved in all programs of Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Machine Learning, Data Engineering, Robotic Systems, AI-Supported Coding, and AI Operator. Candidates moved away from fields with uncertain value in the employment market, turning directly to disciplines focused on technical expertise, data analytics, and cybersecurity; the filling of hybrid programs like Business and Artificial Intelligence, which accepted students for the first time, from the top ranks was also a concrete reflection of the interest in profiles combining the business world with technology.”
