18.11.2025 08:17
The President of YÖK, Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, announced that the implementation allowing students who wish and succeed to complete their university education in 3 years will be put into effect starting next year. President Erdoğan also stated in a recent announcement, "Just like in many European countries, our students should be given the opportunity to graduate in 3 years. With this reform, our higher education system will become more efficient."
```html
The President of the Higher Education Council (YÖK), Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, stated in his speech at the University Sector Cooperation Commission Meeting that they want to facilitate students who wish, meet the conditions, and are successful to complete higher education in a shorter time and graduate.
Özvar said, "We are working on this. The important thing here is to understand, test, and deliver that the outputs of the program and the qualifications are acquired by the student. What we are trying to do is to open the way for students who can complete the same or updated curriculum in a shorter time. These efforts will be implemented starting from next year."
"WE WANT TO SPREAD THE APPLIED EDUCATION MODEL THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY"
Özvar emphasized that one of the most important agenda items they have identified for the upcoming period will be the widespread implementation of the workplace-based applied education model, covering associate and undergraduate levels. He expressed that they will transform internship practices that have not served their purpose or have been inefficient into workplace-based vocational training, and continued:
"This model will allow our students to gain experience not only in the classroom but directly in the business world, making them more equipped, productive, and employment-oriented individuals. The applied education model will be launched in 7 pilot provinces: Konya, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Bursa, Kocaeli, Izmir, and Ankara, and we want to spread it throughout the country in a short time based on the results obtained. Thus, I believe we will institutionalize a higher education understanding that integrates our students' educational processes with real work environments, establishing a direct connection with employment, not only in vocational schools but also in undergraduate programs."
"OUR WILL TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW INTERNSHIP MODEL IS STRONG"
Özvar pointed out that one of the most important elements of the workplace-based education model is internship practices, stating, "I want to share with you that we have started to transform our programs towards a model where our students gain professional experience through practices such as 3+1 or 2+2 in vocational schools, and 7+1 or 6+2 in undergraduate programs, instead of short and inefficient internships of 20 days. The Higher Education Council's will on this issue is strong. This is a job that requires time, patience, and a process. With this model, it will be possible for students to closely understand production processes, develop skills on the job, and transition to employment more quickly after graduation. At the same time, feedback from workplaces will play a decisive role in updating the curricula of our universities, contributing to the emergence of a dynamic educational ecosystem that quickly adapts to the needs of the sector," he said.
PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN HAD CITED EUROPE AS AN EXAMPLE
President Tayyip Erdoğan, in his statement regarding undergraduate programs, announced that in the new period, course plans will be simplified, and application and research-based learning models will be implemented, allowing students to develop projects. He stated, "One of the latest outputs of this transformation is the agenda of structural reforms that will provide our students with the opportunity to graduate in 3 years, as in many European countries. With these reforms, our higher education system will become both more efficient and more compatible with international standards."
```