Lawsuit Against ÖSYM and MEB: Fake Grades Controversy

While the excitement of the national university entrance exam in Turkey (YKS 2026) has not yet subsided, a new legal case has presented the country's education system with a serious challenge. Abdullah Güner, a 20-year-old student from Şanlıurfa, has filed a lawsuit against ÖSYM and MEB, claiming that private schools have destroyed fairness in the exam competition by 'inflating' diploma grades [1].

What is the Grade Inflation Controversy in Private Schools? According to the claims raised in this case, many non-profit schools and private colleges in Turkey are accused of recording their students' final term and diploma grades much higher than their actual academic capabilities. This phenomenon, known in Turkey as 'Not Şişirme', results in students from these schools graduating with very high averages, while public school students face a much stricter grading system [1].

The Impact of the Secondary Success Score (OBP) on Exam Rankings The main reason for the sensitivity of this issue is the direct impact of diploma grades on the final exam ranking. In the Turkish education system, a score called the 'Secondary Success Score' or OBP is added to the raw exam score. This score can shift a candidate's ranking by 30 to 60 points [1]. The plaintiff believes that when two students perform similarly in the exam session, the student from a private school with fake grades achieves a much better ranking thanks to a higher OBP, taking top university seats away from talented public school students [3].

Lawsuit Details and Request for Injunction Abdullah Güner, himself a graduate of a public high school (Imam Hatip), has requested the Ankara Administrative Court for an immediate stay of execution regarding the OBP impact clause in the 2026 exam results. He stated in a declaration: 'I filed this lawsuit not just for myself, but to defend the rights of all students competing under unequal conditions' [1]. Simultaneously, ÖSYM has asked candidates to verify their educational information in the system by June 30, 2026, but critics say this verification only checks the accuracy of the grades recorded in the system, not their authenticity [2].

Reactions and Potential Consequences Education experts warn that if the court rules in favor of the plaintiff, the process of announcing results and the 2026 exam preference period could face delays or structural changes. This case has once again revived long-standing debates in Turkish society about the necessity of completely decoupling school grades from national exams to prevent money from becoming a tool to purchase top rankings [1][3].