In a move of affirmative action, the state-run authority overseeing universities granted the right to family members of terror victims to enroll in any university they want.

Professor Yekta Saraç, president of the Board of Higher Education (YÖK) announced on Wednesday that the wives, husbands, and siblings of security personnel that died in terror attacks and civilians killed during the July 15 coup attempt, will be able to choose a school at their convenience, starting next year.

In Turkey, admission to universities is through yearly exams however, with the new option offered by YÖK, students will be able to stay close to home and attend the university they had planned to enroll in but failed to do so as the prestigious institutions of higher learning naturally requires higher scores in the university entrance exams.

Still, this does not mean that they would be counted as graduates from the universities they switched to, "to ensure social justice," but they will have a special status as Yekta Saraç put it when he spoke to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Facing threats from a diverse range of terrorist groups, Turkey has lost thousands of lives in terror attacks in the past three decades, either by the PKK, Daesh or the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), whose sympathizers in the army are being blamed for the July 15 coup attempt.

The government already offers a set of privileges for family members of terror victims, and police and military officers injured in terror attacks, from employment in the public sector to monthly salaries and more often than not, private universities offer free education to the victims' families.

Saraç said relatives of terror victims will be given "special student" status.

"They can go to schools in their hometown or schools they dreamed of enrolling," Saraç said, adding that it was only a small sign of respect for "martyrs." He said the status would also cover private universities.