Introduction
Higher education provides considerable individual and social benefits (OECD, 2017). For instance, higher education graduates earn a higher income compared to lower level graduates and accordingly they pay more taxes. Considering this, the matter of who benefits from higher education is an important topic of discussion. As is the case in most countries, there is also a high demand for higher education in Turkey and the number of students receiving higher education continues to increase every year. According to current trends, the demand for higher education is going to increase since the number of high school graduates is also on the rise. Moreover, the higher education systems of countries play an increasingly important role in a globalized economy. As the higher education sector in Turkey rapidly expands, the importance of monitoring the indicators of higher education and comparing them with other countries as well as monitoring growth over the years becomes more important. These studies have a significant potential to contribute to the healthy growth of the higher education system and to enable it to achieve its goals more effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, these monitoring studies serve an important function in providing decision makers, journalists, and general audiences with annual performance reviews which compare the Turkish higher education system with other countries.
