Son-Turan, Semen2019-02-192019-02-192016Son-Turan, S. (April 27, 2016). Reforming Higher Education Finance in Turkey: The Alumni - Crowdfunded Student Debt Fund “A-CSDF” Model. Ted Egˆi·ti·m Ve Bi·li·m, 41, ss.184-289.1300-1337https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11779/388http://dx.doi.org/10.15390/EB.2016.6137This study presents an innovative and sustainable system formobilizing Turkish university alumni to contribute to acrowdfunded pool repackaged as a student debt instrument withan elaborate performance tracking tool, various payoff structuresand income-contingent repayment schedules. The ultimate aim isto offer a remedy for the conspicuous global shortage ofalternative finance sources and various forms of aid to highereducation students in the short-term, and, through enablingequitable and egalitarian access to quality higher education,transforming society and enhancing economic development in thelonger-term. The model rests upon a six-dimensional frameworkand its infrastructure is facilitated by a newly emerged form ofdigitally enhanced financing, “crowdfunding”. The researchmethod involves content analysis and data triangulation forvalidation purposes to determine the sub-themes surrounding thehigher education problem in Turkey. The theme-driven keywordsare searched for on Turkey’s first original social network, EksiSozluk, to uncover trends and biases towards student loans, debtrepayment and associated concepts. Subsequently, the samekeywords are utilized in a Google Trends search volume analysis,and are finally validated by a focus group discussion. Thetheoretical framework to explain students’ attitudes towardsborrowing and loan repayment and the motivation behind alumniand charitable giving, rests mainly on behavioral economics. TheA-CDSF Model uniquely addresses the higher education financeproblem in Turkey and offers an easily implementable originalsolution for institutions and policy makers.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessCrowdfundingHigher education financingStudent debtAlumni givingIncome-contigent debtArticle10.15390/EB.2016.61372-s2.0-84965074529