In Turkey, the existence of a centralized selection and admission system (https://www.osym.gov.tr/) does not allow the universities to specifically target to admit low household income groups for undergraduate education. For admission to graduate programs, the selection is based on academic qualities rather than background. The selection and admission processes are carried out transparently.

METU's commitment and target

METU's Academic Freedom, Integrity, Inclusiveness and Equality Policy commits the university "to monitor the acceptance, success and completion rates of those students from the lower quartile income groups, people with disability, and other disadvantaged groups and continue financial and other support (such as mentorship and advisership) for their education."

METU targets low-income students through shifted applicant preference incentives (pre-choice marketing) by clearly advertising:

• Need-Based Scholarships,
• Dormitory Support,
• Meal Allowances,
• Cash/Stipend Grants

directly to candidate students before they finalize their choices (https://adayogrenci.metu.edu.tr/ankara/gereksinim-burslari). According to this page, need-based support is given as cash, dormitory and meal support for 9–12 months a year, worth 4,000–10,000 TL a month in 2026–27, and about one in three new and continuing students benefit from it each year. By publicizing these safety nets (in the form of free meals, subsidized/free housing, and cash stipends) prior to central placement, the university aims to remove financial anxiety as a barrier, encouraging low-income students who score highly to place METU higher on their central preference lists.

METU also employs a post-selection targeting program to make up for the lack of dedicated quota allocation within the central placement system.

• Need-based support package: undergraduate study is tuition-free, and students placed at METU who are assessed as being in financial need receive cash, dormitory and meal support; a student in serious hardship can receive all three at the same time.
• Yield Rates: High-performing low-income students may abandon centralized offers due to living costs in major cities. By publicizing the financial support available prior to preference lists being submitted, the university encourages bottom-quintile applicants to choose their institution.

The scholarship framework relies on the METU Scholarship and Assistance Committee. Donations from the METU Student Support Association, the METU Development Foundation, alumni, students' families and companies are pooled in a single aid fund, which the Committee distributes. Students apply through the online student information system (ozlukbilgi.metu.edu.tr): new students when they register, and continuing students by the end of the new-student registration period; the application calendar is announced each May. Students who enroll submit income documentation, family welfare status, and hardship petitions to be audited after central placement. The university uses this post-selection screening to identify enrolled students in the greatest financial need and supports them with dormitories, meal plans, and stipends. This helps prevent economically vulnerable students from dropping out after placement. Support is withdrawn, and disciplinary proceedings are opened, if a student is found to have made a false declaration, so that aid reaches the students in greatest need.

Students admitted and supported, 2023–2025

Source: METU Directorate of Student Affairs, annual activity reports 2023–2025. New students apply when they register; the reports do not separate applications from new and continuing students.

In addition, the METU Alumni Association runs its own need-based scholarship for METU undergraduates: in 2025–26 it supported about 500 students for nine months with 4,000 TL (full) or 2,250 TL (half) a month, selected through face-to-face interviews (applications 15–31 October 2025).