According to the statement made by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the results of the Global Employability University Ranking and Survey-GEURS 2027, based on the evaluations of employers around the world, were announced.
While there were 4 universities from Türkiye last year in the ranking of 300 universities prepared by the international higher education research organization Emerging Group and published by Times Higher Education (THE), this number increased to 6 in the 2027 results.
According to the announced results, Koç University became the highest ranked university from Türkiye, rising from 209th place last year to 208th place.
Sabancı University rose from 212th to 211th place, and Middle East Technical University (METU) rose from 224th to 223rd place. Istanbul Technical University (ITU) also ranked 255th.
This year, Bilkent University was included in the list at 275th place, and Boğaziçi University was included in the list at 277th place.
"WE ARE PROUD OF OUR UNIVERSITIES THAT PRODUCE GRADUATES PREFERRED BY LEADING EMPLOYERS"
In his evaluation on the subject, YÖK President Erol Özvar stated that the success of universities is measured by the competencies gained by their graduates and made the following statements:
"The fact that 6 of our universities from Türkiye are included in the ranking prepared with the evaluations of the world's leading employers shows that our graduates can compete on a global scale with the knowledge, skills and competencies they have. It is not a coincidence that while we had 4 universities in the list in 2026, this number increased to 6 in 2027. We are proud of our universities that can compete on a global scale and produce graduates who are preferred by the world's leading employers.
Our goal is to increase the recognition of our universities in the world, as well as to increase the number of our universities whose graduates are sought after all over the world. We are constantly strengthening our higher education system so that our young people can grow up as individuals who can compete in the international business world, produce technology and develop innovation. "We are determined to carry Türkiye's rising power in higher education even further with the success of our graduates in the global business world."
PREPARED WITH THE EVALUATION OF 15 THOUSAND 665 PARTICIPANTS
GEURS 2027 results are an important indicator as they reflect the recognition of higher education institutions in the international business world and employer evaluations of the readiness of graduates for business life.
GEURS 2027 research is based on the opinions of 15 thousand 665 qualified participants from 40 countries.
Participants in the study were selected from managers who had experience hiring or working directly with young graduates.
It was stated that the number of graduates that the participants hired or worked with in the last 2 years was approximately 354 thousand.
In the survey conducted in 11 languages, each participant was able to vote for a maximum of 15 higher education institutions that they considered strong in terms of the employability of their graduates.
The results were determined by counting employer votes with equal weight, subject to eligibility and data quality checks.
The inclusion of 6 universities from Türkiye in this global evaluation stands out as an important development in terms of the visibility of Turkish higher education in the field of international employability.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND GRADUATES' SKILLS FEATURED IN EMPLOYERS' PREFERENCES
The research also revealed important data regarding the expectations of the business world from universities.
Academic performance ranked first among employers' reasons for choosing universities with 19.3 percent.
This was followed by graduates' skills with 18.6 percent and business life expertise with 17.2 percent.
Influence and leadership were mentioned by 13.4 percent, specialization by 12.6 percent, internationality by 10 percent and corporate reputation by 8.9 percent.
This part of the research revealed that academic knowledge and professional skills are important together when showing the reasons behind employers' university preferences.
On the other hand, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) came first, Stanford University second, Oxford University third, Cambridge University fourth and Harvard University fifth.
