Scholarships and Financial Support for Women

Near East University systematically monitors scholarship provision to assess financial support for women's access to higher education.

In 2025, 90.63% of female students received full or partial scholarships, including 20.76% with full scholarships and 69.87% with partial scholarships. High-value partial scholarships were also provided, including 90% and 95% scholarship awards. Among women newly enrolled in 2025, scholarship coverage reached 94.85%, with 22.11% receiving full scholarships and 44.58% receiving scholarships covering at least 70%.

Scholarship Support for Women from Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries

Near East University also monitors financial support provided to female students from low- and lower-middle-income countries, using World Bank income classifications and retaining Ethiopia under its FY2025 low-income classification.

In 2025, 1,492 female students enrolled at Near East University were from 48 low- and lower-middle-income countries.  Overall, 69.10% received scholarship support, including 8.85% with full scholarships. Furthermore, 14.61% received scholarships of at least 70%, while 9.25% benefited from scholarships covering 90% or more.

Scholarship coverage among women from low-income countries reached 71.64%, compared with 67.07% among those from lower-middle-income countries.

Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya were among the countries with the largest female student populations. Nigeria and Sudan recorded the highest numbers of full scholarships within these groups. Scholarship coverage also reached 90.11% among female students from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 81.25% among those from Ethiopia.

These gender-disaggregated and country-level records enable the university to monitor scholarship coverage, identify differences in financial support, and inform institutional measures supporting women's access to higher education.

STEM Statistics and Women's Representation (2025)

Near East University monitors gender-disaggregated graduation data across academic disciplines to assess women's representation in STEM and identify areas where further encouragement may be needed.

In 2025, 8.56% of all female graduates completed degrees in STEM fields, compared with 60.44% in Medicine and 31.00% in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Women accounted for 32.75% of all STEM graduates, indicating that female representation in these disciplines remained below that of men.

Within the female STEM graduate population, Veterinary Science (35.61%) and Engineering (34.09%) represented the largest shares, followed by Computer Science and Biological Sciences (14.39% each). However, women's representation varied considerably between disciplines. While women accounted for 52.81% of Veterinary Science graduates, their shares were substantially lower in Engineering (23.32%) and Computer Science (20.88%).

These findings highlight continuing differences in women's participation across STEM disciplines and provide context for the university's initiatives encouraging girls and young women to pursue education and careers in underrepresented fields.

STEM Outreach and Mentorship: Encouraging Women to Enter Underrepresented Fields

Near East University supports women's entry into underrepresented STEM disciplines through targeted outreach, career guidance, and mentorship initiatives coordinated by its Sustainability Office.

The university collaborates with Near East Enterprises schools and local public schools to provide STEM education, career guidance, and mentorship opportunities for female students. Delivered free of charge by academics specialising in STEM disciplines, these activities introduce girls to scientific fields, higher education opportunities, and potential career pathways, particularly in disciplines where women remain underrepresented.

Near East University mentors also provide guidance during the university selection process, helping prospective female students make informed decisions about their academic futures. Mentorship activities include information on academic programmes, professional opportunities, and the experiences of women pursuing scientific careers.

In 2025, these collaborative outreach efforts included the Girls Shaping the Future programme at Değirmenlik High School, where female students received STEM career guidance and mentorship from university academics.

Girls Shaping the Future: STEM Career Awareness and Mentorship – December 2025

In December 2025, the Near East University Sustainability Office organised a STEM career awareness and mentorship event for 10th-grade female students at Değirmenlik High School as part of the university's collaborative outreach activities with local schools.

Female academics and professionals from medicine and veterinary science introduced students to educational and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Through interactive discussions, career guidance, and mentorship, participants explored academic pathways, professional opportunities, and the experiences of women working in scientific fields.

The initiative contributed to the university's ongoing efforts to encourage girls to pursue STEM education and careers, strengthen their awareness of higher education opportunities, and support informed academic and career choices in disciplines where women remain underrepresented.

Women's Mentorship Schemes and Participation (2025)

Young Women Shaping Their Future Summit: Group Career Mentorship – 23 December 2025

Near East University organized the Young Women Shaping Their Future Summit as a structured women’s mentorship and career guidance initiative through the collaboration of the Center for Gender Studies (TOCAM), the Student Deanship, and the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences.

The programme was specifically designed to support young women in developing leadership and career-related skills, strengthening their ability to make informed decisions about working life, and encouraging them to build their own success stories.

Through two thematic sessions, participants received guidance from academics and professionals on emotional resilience, workplace motivation, women’s rights at work, interview preparation, effective CV writing, women’s entrepreneurship, and communication skills. The event therefore provided practical mentorship and professional orientation for women students in a structured university setting.

Bringing together more than 750 students, the summit formed part of the university’s broader efforts to support women’s academic, personal, and professional development.