I Believe This Number Can Easily Reach 1 Million in Türkiye

Speaking at the Bosphorus Diplomacy Forum, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, chairman of the board of trustees of the İlim Yayma Vakfı (Foundation for the Dissemination of Knowledge), said Turkey is among the countries attracting the most international students in the world. "We have around 350,000 guest students. I believe this number can easily reach 1 million.

Our university infrastructure is very suitable and strong in this regard. I think this is valuable both in terms of its contribution to our economy and as a strong asset in enabling a brain drain toward Turkey, he said. The second edition of the Bosphorus Diplomacy Forum (BDF) 2026, organized by the Young Diplomacy Association (GDD), began today on Democracy and Freedoms Island under the theme "Humanitarian Diplomacy in an Age of Crises.

The forum brought together over 400 young people from 30 different nationalities across Turkey and various regions of the world. The opening featured a panel titled "Bringing Different Geographies Together: Education Diplomacy, attended by Erdoğan and Istanbul Governor Davut Gül. Erdoğan answered questions from GDD President Selman Bilir, BDF'26 Academy President Shamam Musa, and BDF'26 Operations President Yiğit Emir Cantemür.

Responding to a question about whether a young person educated in Turkey for several years could become a cultural ambassador for the country upon graduation, Erdoğan said: "Turkey is today among the countries attracting the most international students in the world. We have around 350,000 guest students, mainly at university level and above. Turkey leaves a very high level of satisfaction among incoming students due to its hospitality, welfare level, and the quality of its universities and educational institutions.

Considering that these 350,000 international students include 100,000-150,000 new students each year, we should think that they will contribute significantly to Turkey's proper promotion worldwide. I believe they will be — and already are — Turkey's voluntary ambassadors. Erdoğan added: "International students coming to Turkey should not be seen merely as guests contributing to Turkey's economy.

Even from that perspective alone, an international student spending a year or ten months in Turkey leaves at least ten times more foreign currency than an average tourist. So think of 350,000 international students as equivalent to 3.5 million tourists in economic terms. But beyond that, compare how much advertising a tourist who spends three days or a week vacationing by the sea can do for Turkey versus how an educated individual who has studied in Turkey, seen the level of Turkish universities, and experienced life and social relations there will promote Turkey upon returning home.

We can see the multiplier effect is even stronger. That is why I truly believe the number of international students in Turkey can easily reach 1 million. Erdoğan also stated: "When we look at the whole world, the existence of a serious sphere of influence — our 'gönül coğrafyası' (heartland) — is a fact.

From the Balkans especially, but also the Middle East, North Africa, and the Turkic World, studying in Istanbul or elsewhere in Turkey is a goal and a dream for incoming students. Then staying and working in Turkey becomes their goal and dream. So when we talk about brain drain, we should recognize that a brain drain toward Turkey has begun from our heartland.

We must expose certain toxic social dynamics working against this, condemn them absolutely to oblivion, and see these international students as an asset for realizing this brain-drain advantage for a stronger Turkey. Reflecting on his own Harvard education, he said: If you asked me what was the greatest benefit of doing a master's at Harvard, I would say having friends from all over the world — half of my classmates that year came from countries outside America.