15.06.2026 17:41
The countdown for the 2026 YKS has begun. This year, 2,425,628 candidates applied for the exam, with the youngest candidate being 16 years old and the oldest 87. Millions of candidates dreaming of university will take the exam on June 20-21. According to ÖSYM data, the number of first-time applicants for the YKS has exceeded 921,000.
The 2026 Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS), organized by the Measurement, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) Presidency, will be held on June 20-21. A total of 2,425,628 candidates applied for the exam this year.
According to the statement made by ÖSYM, after a long and intense preparation process, the final week has begun for candidates taking the YKS.
In his assessment regarding the exam, ÖSYM President Prof. Dr. Bayram Ali Ersoy stated that 2,425,628 candidates applied for the first session, the Basic Proficiency Test (TYT), which will be held on Saturday, June 20 at 10:15.
AYT AND YDT PARTICIPATION NUMBERS ANNOUNCED
Ersoy stated that 1,627,960 candidates will participate in the second session, the Field Proficiency Tests (AYT), to be held on Sunday, June 21 at 10:15.
It was reported that a total of 203,639 candidates will participate in the third session, the Foreign Language Test (YDT), to be held on the same day at 15:45, consisting of 195,051 in English, 4,178 in Arabic, 2,550 in German, 941 in Russian, and 919 in French.
Noting that 921,248 candidates applied for YKS for the first time this year, Ersoy said, “665,113 candidates applied for the second time, 447,067 candidates for the third time, 198,904 candidates for the fourth time, and 193,296 candidates for the fifth time or more.”
THE YOUNGEST CANDIDATE IS 16, THE OLDEST CANDIDATE IS 87
Sharing information about the school types and educational status of the candidates, Ersoy stated that 978,408 applicants were Anatolian high school graduates, 514,809 were vocational high school graduates, 294,052 were open education high school graduates, 186,800 were imam hatip high school graduates, and 104,273 were science high school graduates. Additionally, it was stated that 347,286 candidates applied from other high school types.
Ersoy conveyed that the youngest candidate for the exam is 16 years old and the oldest is 87, adding that 20,158 individuals aged 50 and over also applied for the exam.
Ersoy shared the information, “Of those who applied for the 2026-YKS, 1,324,509 were female candidates and 1,101,119 were male candidates. The number of candidates wishing to benefit from the quota for women over 34, determined by the Council of Higher Education, was 83,741.”
10,880 CANDIDATES WERE EXEMPTED FROM THE EXAM FEE
Emphasizing that martyrs' and veterans' relatives, as well as veterans, are exempt from exam, application, and placement fees, Ersoy noted that a total of 10,880 candidates benefited from exam fee exemptions in this context.
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