The Council of Higher Education, known as YÖK, has clarified the base-score rule that will apply when students returning under the student amnesty apply for horizontal transfer. For programs that had not yet opened, or had not enrolled students when the applicants were originally registered, YÖK said the relevant benchmark will be the base score from the year the destination program first admitted students.
Key facts
- YÖK issued an additional rule for horizontal transfers under the student amnesty.
- The score used will be the base score from the year the destination program first enrolled students.
- That figure will be compared with the base score of the student’s former program in the same year.
- Programs will be assessed within the same score type.
- Applications under the student amnesty must be made by 9 December 2026.
What does this mean for students?
The clarification matters for students who regained the right to return to higher education under the amnesty and want to use horizontal transfer. It removes uncertainty about which base score will be used when the target program did not exist, or did not take students, in the year the student was first registered.
Under YÖK’s rule, a transfer application can go forward only if the base score of the student’s former program is equal to or higher than the base score of the program they want to enter. The comparison will be made between programs in the same score type. Students seeking amnesty benefits must apply to the universities where they were removed from the roster, or where they earned the right to enroll, by 9 December 2026.
Which base score will be used?
YÖK said the benchmark will be the base score from the year the destination program first enrolled students. That score will then be compared with the base score of the student’s former program in the same year. If the former program’s score is equal to or higher, the student may apply for horizontal transfer.
What is the legal basis for the amnesty?
The clarification follows Law No. 7592, which came into force on 9 August 2026 and gave a return-to-study right to people whose university registration had ended, as well as to those who won a higher-education place but could not register. YÖK then set procedures on 12 August and also allowed eligible students to apply for horizontal transfer if they met the conditions. The new addition makes clear which base score applies in those cases.
How does the application timeline work?
Students who want to benefit from the amnesty must apply by 9 December 2026 to the universities where their registration was ended or where they won the right to enroll. Students whose applications are approved will be able to resume their studies in the 2026-2027 academic year. The added transfer rule will apply to those applications.
