After past controversies over leaks of exam questions and fake diplomas, Turkey’s Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) is again under scrutiny — this time for alleged interference in university preference lists.
At least six students filed a lawsuit after discovering that their choices had been changed by outsiders who gained unauthorized access to ÖSYM’s online system.
According to journalist İsmail Saymaz, the breach occurred just minutes before the preference deadline. One of the victims, C.Ş. from İzmir, had listed public medical schools as her top choices. When she rechecked the system after midnight, her list had been replaced with private university programs in elderly care.
Her family immediately filed complaints with the police, the Presidential Communications Center, and the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office before taking legal action against ÖSYM.
Investigators traced the digital intrusion to an IP address registered to a resident in Istanbul’s Ümraniye district, identified as M.H.C., who denied involvement. Three of the four affected students were accessed from the same IP address, differing only by port numbers. The others were based in Giresun and Hatay.
ÖSYM denied any data leak, stating that its system remained secure and that the issue stemmed from candidates sharing their ID numbers and passwords with others. “The confidentiality of user information is the responsibility of the candidates,” the center said.
