Monitoring & Tracking Admissions of Underrepresented Groups

Atatürk University | SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities | Indicator 10.6.2

Reporting Year: 2025

1. Institutional Commitment and Policy

Atatürk University is committed to monitoring access to higher education and identifying potential inequalities affecting underrepresented and disadvantaged student groups.

The University recognises that equitable access requires systematic examination of student applications, admissions and enrolment outcomes, with particular attention to groups that may encounter economic, social, physical or institutional barriers.

Through its student information infrastructure, admissions procedures, institutional statistics and student support mechanisms, Atatürk University establishes a basis for examining the participation of underrepresented groups in higher education.

The University’s monitoring framework addresses the following groups:

• Women: Monitoring gender representation across academic programmes, faculties and admission pathways.
• Students with disabilities: Examining access to higher education and the availability of reasonable accommodations.
• Low-income students: Identifying students experiencing financial disadvantage through legally available socioeconomic and student support information.
• Non-traditional students: Monitoring students entering higher education through alternative pathways, including older learners, working students and distance education students.
• Refugee and displaced students: Examining access for eligible applicants with international protection or other relevant legal statuses.
• Ethnic minorities and potentially underrepresented communities: Assessing access where relevant information can lawfully be collected and processed.
• LGBT students: Recognising potential barriers to access and considering appropriate, privacy-preserving monitoring where lawful and ethically justified.
• International students: Examining geographical and nationality-related patterns in international applications and admissions.

The University seeks to ensure that monitoring activities contribute to fair educational opportunities without exposing students to discrimination, unnecessary disclosure of sensitive information or unequal treatment.

Institutional objective: To identify differences in access, admission and enrolment outcomes and use the findings to inform student support and institutional planning.

2. Legal and Regulatory Framework

Atatürk University’s approach to monitoring underrepresented groups is based on Turkish legislation governing equality, higher education, disability rights, international protection and personal data.

2.1. Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye

Article 10 – Equality Before the Law

Article 10 establishes the principle of equality before the law and provides a constitutional foundation for non-discrimination.

Article 42 – Right and Duty of Education

Article 42 protects the right to education within the applicable constitutional and statutory framework.

These provisions establish the legal basis for equal treatment in access to educational opportunities.

2.2. Higher Education Law No. 2547

Higher Education Law No. 2547 regulates the organisation and operation of higher education institutions.

Student admissions are conducted through the applicable national and institutional procedures, including those established by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and the Measurement, Selection and Placement Centre (ÖSYM).

The University’s monitoring framework uses information generated through these legally established processes.

2.3. Law No. 5378 on Persons with Disabilities

Law No. 5378 establishes protections concerning accessibility and equal participation for persons with disabilities.

The University recognises the importance of identifying barriers affecting students with disabilities and providing support through its relevant institutional units.

2.4. Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection

Law No. 6458 establishes the legal framework for foreigners and persons under international protection in Türkiye.

The University’s international admissions procedures operate within the applicable higher education and immigration regulations.

Where legally available, relevant student information can support the examination of educational access among displaced and newly settled populations.

2.5. Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698

The collection and processing of student information are subject to the Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK).

Information concerning disability, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and other sensitive characteristics requires particular care under applicable data protection provisions.

The University distinguishes between routinely available administrative information and sensitive characteristics that cannot be assumed or inferred from ordinary admissions records.

Institutional reference: Atatürk University – Personal Data Protection

3. Institutional Framework for Monitoring Applications and Admissions

Atatürk University’s approach distinguishes three stages of access to higher education.

3.1. Applications

The application stage concerns individuals seeking admission to an academic programme.

Depending on the admission pathway, information may originate from:

• National examination and placement procedures.
• International student application systems.
• Graduate admissions.
• Special admission procedures.
• Other legally established entry pathways.

The University can examine application patterns where the relevant records are available to the institution.

3.2. Admissions and Placement

The admission stage concerns applicants who receive an offer of admission or are placed in an academic programme.

Relevant information includes:

• Academic programme.
• Faculty or vocational school.
• Admission pathway.
• Admission year.
• Placement or admission outcome.
• Relevant demographic characteristics available under applicable legislation.

3.3. Enrolment

The enrolment stage concerns students who complete registration.

Monitoring this stage helps distinguish students who receive admission from those who actually begin their studies.

This distinction is particularly relevant for identifying barriers that may arise after an admission decision, including financial constraints, accessibility difficulties and other practical obstacles.

3.4. Student Progression

The University’s monitoring framework can extend beyond initial admission to examine:

• Continued enrolment.
• Retention.
• Academic progression.
• Graduation.
• Withdrawal or interruption of studies.

These measures help assess whether access to higher education is followed by continued educational participation.

4. Measurement Framework and Key Indicators

The monitoring framework uses quantitative indicators to examine access and representation.

Where information is available, these indicators can be examined by academic year, faculty, programme, gender and other relevant characteristics.

4.1. Admission Rate

The admission rate is calculated as:

Admission Rate (%) = (Number of Admitted Applicants / Total Number of Applicants) × 100

4.2. Enrolment Yield

The enrolment yield is calculated as:

Enrolment Yield (%) = (Number of Enrolled Students / Number of Admitted Applicants) × 100

4.3. Representation Rate

The representation rate is calculated as:

Representation Rate (%) = (Number of Students in the Relevant Group / Total Relevant Student Population) × 100

These indicators are calculated only where the underlying data are available and comparable.

5. Monitoring Women’s Access to Higher Education

5.1. Gender-Disaggregated Student Data

Gender is an important dimension of institutional student statistics.

Atatürk University uses student records and institutional statistical information to examine the distribution of female and male students across academic programmes.

Relevant measures include:

• Female and male applicants.
• Female and male admitted students.
• Female and male enrolled students.
• Gender distribution by faculty.
• Gender distribution by academic programme.
• Changes in gender representation over time.

5.2. Programme-Level Analysis

Gender representation can vary considerably across disciplines.

Programme-level monitoring helps identify areas in which women may be underrepresented.

This is particularly relevant to disciplines where gender participation differences may be observed, including certain engineering and technology programmes.

5.3. National Benchmarking

The University’s gender-related student indicators can be compared with national higher education statistics published through YÖK.

Evidence: YÖK Atlas – Higher Education Programme Statistics

Institutional evidence: Atatürk University – Institutional Statistics

6. Monitoring Students with Disabilities

6.1. Institutional Disability Support Framework

Atatürk University recognises the importance of accessible higher education for students with disabilities.

The University’s disability-related regulations and support arrangements provide an institutional basis for addressing barriers affecting these students.

Institutional evidence: Atatürk University – Disability-Related Student Regulations

6.2. Monitoring Access and Participation

Relevant indicators include:

• Students with disabilities admitted to academic programmes.
• Students with disabilities completing registration.
• Distribution across faculties and programmes.
• Students requesting accessibility support.
• Retention and graduation outcomes, where available.

6.3. Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation

Monitoring is relevant to identifying the need for:

• Accessible physical environments.
• Appropriate examination arrangements.
• Accessible educational materials.
• Assistive technologies.
• Individualised academic support.

Information collected for disability support must be processed according to applicable confidentiality and data protection requirements.

6.4. Institutional Use of Findings

Aggregated disability-related information can help relevant units identify accessibility needs and assess the effectiveness of institutional support arrangements.

7. Monitoring Low-Income and Economically Disadvantaged Students

7.1. Socioeconomic Disadvantage

Atatürk University recognises that financial disadvantage can affect students’ ability to access and continue higher education.

Economic barriers may include:

• Tuition-related costs, where applicable.
• Accommodation expenses.
• Transportation expenses.
• Food and daily living costs.
• Educational materials and equipment.
• Limited household financial resources.

7.2. Institutional Scholarship and Financial Support Information

The University’s scholarship and student assistance procedures provide an administrative basis for identifying certain forms of economic need.

Eligibility criteria for relevant assistance programmes include consideration of students with insufficient financial resources.

Institutional evidence: Atatürk University – Scholarship and Financial Assistance Documentation

7.3. Monitoring Indicators

Where the necessary information is lawfully available, relevant indicators include:

• Students applying for need-based assistance.
• Students receiving financial support.
• Admission and enrolment outcomes of financially disadvantaged applicants.
• Distribution of supported students by faculty.
• Retention and graduation outcomes of supported students.

7.4. Distinguishing Financial Need from Admissions Data

Scholarship records provide evidence of financial disadvantage among applicants for assistance or enrolled students.

They do not necessarily identify every low-income applicant at the original university admission stage.

For this reason, socioeconomic monitoring distinguishes direct admissions information from student support data collected after enrolment.

8. Monitoring Non-Traditional Students

8.1. Definition

Non-traditional students may include individuals whose educational pathways differ from conventional full-time undergraduate entry immediately after secondary education.

Relevant categories include:

• Older students.
• Working students.
• Part-time students, where applicable.
• Distance education students.
• Open education students.
• Students returning to higher education after an interruption.

8.2. Atatürk University’s Educational Structure

The University’s diverse educational provision, including open and distance education opportunities, provides multiple pathways into higher education.

These pathways are relevant to students who may face constraints associated with age, employment, family responsibilities or geographical location.

8.3. Monitoring Indicators

Relevant measures include:

• Student age at admission.
• Admission pathway.
• Programme delivery mode.
• Previous higher education experience, where available.
• Enrolment and progression outcomes.

Monitoring these characteristics can help the University assess participation among learners entering through different educational pathways.

9. Monitoring Refugee, Displaced and Newly Settled Students

9.1. Institutional Approach

Atatürk University recognises the importance of access to higher education for eligible international applicants, including individuals who may have experienced displacement.

Admissions are governed by the relevant national higher education regulations and institutional procedures.

9.2. International Student Information

Relevant administrative information may include:

• Nationality.
• Country of previous education.
• International admission pathway.
• Programme applied for.
• Admission outcome.
• Enrolment status.

9.3. Refugee and Protection Status

Refugee or international protection status is distinct from nationality.

A student’s country of citizenship alone does not establish refugee status.

Monitoring specifically concerning refugees or displaced students therefore requires appropriate legally available information rather than assumptions based on nationality.

9.4. Monitoring Objectives

Where reliable information is available, the University can examine:

• Applications from eligible displaced students.
• Admission and enrolment outcomes.
• Academic programme distribution.
• Access to student support services.
• Continued educational participation.

These measures can inform efforts to reduce barriers affecting students who have experienced displacement.

10. Monitoring Ethnic Minorities and Potentially Underrepresented Communities

Atatürk University recognises the importance of equitable access for individuals from different social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Monitoring ethnic representation requires particular attention to the legal and ethical conditions governing the collection of sensitive personal data.

10.1. Data Protection

Ethnic origin constitutes sensitive personal information under Turkish data protection legislation.

Such information cannot be routinely inferred from:

• Names.
• Birthplaces.
• Nationality.
• Language.
• Geographical origin.

10.2. Appropriate Monitoring Approaches

Where direct collection is not lawful or appropriate, the University may examine broader access indicators, such as:

• Geographical distribution of applicants.
• Regional differences in participation.
• Access from underserved communities.
• Socioeconomic disadvantage.
• Educational opportunity differences across regions.

These indicators may reveal patterns of disadvantage but do not constitute direct measurements of ethnicity.

10.3. Institutional Objective

The objective is to identify potential barriers to higher education while respecting personal privacy and avoiding discriminatory categorisation.

11. Monitoring Access for LGBT Students

Atatürk University recognises that students may experience barriers to educational participation because of discrimination or unequal treatment.

11.1. Equal Educational Opportunity

The University’s approach is grounded in the constitutional principle of equality and the protection of students’ rights under applicable legislation.

11.2. Privacy and Sensitive Information

Sexual orientation and related personal information require appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards.

Routine admissions records do not necessarily contain information identifying LGBT applicants.

The University does not equate the absence of such information with the absence of potentially underrepresented students.

11.3. Monitoring and Institutional Assessment

Where legally and ethically appropriate, institutional assessment may consider:

• Voluntary and confidential feedback.
• Experiences of discrimination.
• Barriers to participation.
• Student welfare concerns.
• Access to relevant support mechanisms.

Such information should not be collected or disclosed in a manner that exposes individuals to unnecessary risk.

12. Intersectional Monitoring of Underrepresented Groups

Students may experience multiple forms of disadvantage simultaneously.

For example:

• Women with disabilities.
• Low-income women.
• Older students with financial difficulties.
• International students experiencing economic disadvantage.
• Students with disabilities from underserved regions.

Where sufficient and lawfully collected data are available, intersectional analysis can examine differences in access among overlapping groups.

However, small population sizes may create a risk of identifying individuals.

For this reason, intersectional reporting should use appropriate aggregation and disclosure controls.

13. Institutional Data Infrastructure

13.1. Student Information System

Atatürk University’s student information infrastructure supports the administration of student records throughout the educational lifecycle.

Relevant information includes:

• Student identification and registration.
• Academic programme.
• Faculty and department.
• Admission year.
• Educational status.
• Academic progression.
• Graduation information.

The University’s student information infrastructure provides a foundation for longitudinal monitoring of student participation.

13.2. National Admissions Data

For programmes using central placement, ÖSYM and YÖK systems provide relevant national admissions information.

The availability of applicant-level data to the University depends on the relevant admissions procedure and data access arrangements.

13.3. International and Graduate Admissions

Institutional application procedures for international and graduate programmes provide additional sources of admissions information.

These pathways may permit analysis of application and admission outcomes within the records maintained by the University.

13.4. Institutional Statistics Portal

Atatürk University provides access to institutional statistical information through its statistics infrastructure.

Institutional evidence: Atatürk University – Statistics Portal

13.5. Quotas and Admission Scores

The University’s Student Affairs Department publishes programme-level quota and admission information.

This supports transparency concerning the distribution of admission opportunities across academic programmes.

Institutional evidence: Atatürk University – Quotas and Admission Scores

14. Institutional Responsibilities

14.1. Student Affairs Department

The Student Affairs Department plays a central role in maintaining and administering student admission and registration information.

Its responsibilities include:

• Managing relevant student records.
• Supporting admissions and registration procedures.
• Maintaining institutional student information.
• Preparing student statistics.
• Coordinating relevant reporting requirements.

14.2. Big Data Management Office

The Big Data Management Office supports institutional data management, analysis and reporting.

Within the monitoring framework, its analytical functions are relevant to:

• Consolidating authorised student data.
• Examining representation patterns.
• Comparing indicators across academic years.
• Preparing faculty-level statistical analyses.
• Supporting institutional performance reporting.
• Producing aggregated evidence for sustainability assessments.

14.3. Disability Support Units

Relevant disability support units provide an institutional basis for identifying accessibility needs and supporting students with disabilities.

Their information may contribute to appropriately aggregated institutional assessments.

14.4. Scholarship and Student Support Units

Units administering financial assistance provide information concerning students who apply for or receive economic support.

These records can contribute to monitoring socioeconomic disadvantage among enrolled students.

14.5. Academic and Institutional Management

University management and relevant academic authorities may use statistical findings to inform decisions concerning student support, accessibility and institutional planning.

15. Public Reporting and Transparency

Atatürk University provides public access to selected information concerning student admissions, programme quotas and institutional statistics.

Relevant sources include:

1. Institutional Statistics Portal

https://istatistik.atauni.edu.tr/istatistik/sayfalar/anasayfa.php

2. Student Affairs – Quotas and Admission Scores

https://birimler.atauni.edu.tr/ogrenci-isleri-daire-baskanligi/kontenjan-puanlar/

3. YÖK Atlas

https://yokatlas.yok.gov.tr/

These resources support transparency concerning admissions opportunities and student representation.

Publicly available statistics and internal administrative records may differ in their level of detail.

Sensitive group-level information should be published only where lawful and with appropriate privacy safeguards.

16. Annual Monitoring and Comparative Analysis

The University’s monitoring framework considers changes in student access over time.

16.1. Year-on-Year Comparisons

Relevant indicators can be compared across academic years to examine:

• Changes in application numbers.
• Changes in admission rates.
• Changes in gender representation.
• Participation of students with disabilities.
• Participation through alternative admission pathways.
• Enrolment outcomes of financially disadvantaged students.
• Differences across faculties and programmes.

16.2. Identifying Potential Disparities

Where comparable data are available, differences between groups may be examined.

For example, a lower enrolment yield among financially disadvantaged admitted students may indicate a need to investigate financial or practical barriers.

Similarly, differences in participation among students with disabilities may justify further examination of accessibility arrangements.

16.3. Interpretation of Results

Differences in admission rates do not automatically demonstrate discriminatory treatment.

Appropriate analysis should consider admission criteria, examination results, programme preferences, available quotas and other relevant factors.

The purpose of monitoring is to identify issues requiring further investigation and support evidence-based institutional decisions.

17. Institutional Response and Continuous Improvement

Findings from access and admissions monitoring can inform institutional actions.

Potential responses include:

Institutional actions should be assessed using subsequent data to determine whether identified barriers have been reduced.

18. Data Protection and Ethical Safeguards

Atatürk University recognises that monitoring underrepresented groups must balance institutional accountability with students’ privacy rights.

The following principles guide appropriate data use:

Lawful Processing: Student information must be processed under an applicable legal basis.

Data Minimisation: Only information necessary for legitimate institutional purposes should be collected.

Purpose Limitation: Information collected for admissions or student support must be used consistently with applicable legal requirements.

Confidentiality: Access to sensitive information must be appropriately restricted.

Aggregated Reporting: Published statistics should avoid identifying individual students.

Voluntary Disclosure Where Appropriate: Sensitive characteristics should not be inferred or collected without an appropriate legal and ethical basis.

Non-Discrimination: Monitoring must not disadvantage applicants or students because of their personal characteristics.

Institutional evidence: Atatürk University – Personal Data Protection

19. Supporting Institutional Evidence

20. Contribution to SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities

Atatürk University recognises that monitoring access to higher education is necessary to identify potential inequalities affecting underrepresented groups.

The University’s admissions procedures, student information infrastructure, institutional statistics, disability support arrangements and financial assistance mechanisms provide a basis for examining student access and participation.

The monitoring framework distinguishes between applications, admissions and completed enrolments, allowing different stages of educational access to be assessed.

It addresses gender representation, disability, economic disadvantage, non-traditional educational pathways, refugee and displaced student access, and other potentially underrepresented groups where appropriate information is lawfully available.

The Student Affairs Department and Big Data Management Office provide relevant administrative and analytical functions for institutional monitoring and reporting.

By supporting systematic examination of student participation and the identification of barriers to educational opportunity, Atatürk University contributes to SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities, Indicator 10.6.2: Monitoring and Tracking Applications and Admissions of Underrepresented Groups.