23.12.2025 01:26
The President of the Higher Education Council, Erol Özvar, announced that they are working on shortening the duration of university education. Özvar stated that with this new regulation, they aim to enable students to graduate in a shorter time while maintaining the same understanding of credits and course hours.
President of the Higher Education Council (YÖK) Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar visited Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University. He toured the university's campus in Topkapı and received information from the rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Şimşek about the Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi and the university's technical facilities. YÖK President Özvar also visited the social media addiction, video art, and poster exhibition organized by the students of the graphic design department of the Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture.
Özvar then visited the laboratories and workshops of the Faculty of Art, Design, Architecture, and Engineering. After his visit here, YÖK President Özvar attended the university's senate meeting. He was accompanied by the rector of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Şimşek, vice rectors, and academics.
"WE ARE WORKING ON A MODEL THAT WILL ENABLE OUR STUDENTS TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE IN A SHORT TIME"
YÖK President Erol Özvar stated, "We have announced that we are working on a third semester that will allow our students to graduate in a shorter time within the same credit and course hour understanding, without any loss of credit in higher education programs and without any savings in learning outcomes. We continue to carry out this announcement and our work together with our universities.
We hope to implement this arrangement, which will allow a student to complete 8 semesters in 3 years instead of 4 years, as soon as possible. Sometimes it can be questioned, 'Will the credits decrease? Will fewer courses be taken? Will there be less education?' No, there will not be less education and training. We want to benefit for more than 1 year. Thus, I would like to express that we are working on a model that will provide significant savings in terms of expenses and also enable our students to enter the workforce in a shorter time. This model is not a new model. It is a model that is currently being implemented in many countries around the world. In fact, there are foundation universities in our country that have tested this."
"WE ARE REMOVING WEAKENING PROGRAMS FROM THE SYSTEM"
YÖK President Özvar stated, "As you know, we have abolished the second education. The abolition of second education has actually created a significant time gap in many of our universities. We have relieved our universities' hands due to the second education programs we have removed, as well as many programs we have taken out of the system. In addition to the abolition of second education programs, we are also removing weakening programs from the system, especially those that do not provide employment opportunities for their graduates. We expect our universities to give up insisting on opening these programs. Because we will no longer allocate quotas for these programs.
"WE WILL AGAIN SIMPLIFY"
In this context, programs that do not provide opportunities for their students and their families regarding the future will continue to be removed from the system. I would like you to know that we will again simplify this year. I would like to share once again that we will continue to make quota arrangements in some of the programs that accept students based on success rankings. Quota arrangements will be made for law quotas, dentistry, pharmacy, architecture, certain programs of the faculty of education, and similar psychology programs. I would also like to address the young brothers and sisters preparing for university and their valuable families. Please closely follow the quotas, success rankings, and scores of the program you wish to study, as they were last year. If possible, consider the quotas, scores, and rankings of each program over the last 3-5 years.
STRIKING EMPHASIS ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
We will continue to open programs focused on information technology based on artificial intelligence. As you know, we have opened nearly 20 programs based on integration and artificial intelligence in the system over the last 3 years. Thirteen of these are undergraduate programs, while the rest are at the associate degree level. We expect both our foundation and state universities to follow these newly opened programs. I would like you to know that we have opened these new programs in nearly a hundred state universities. On the other hand, I would like to remind you that we have made significant quota arrangements in programs that encourage teaching. Significant quota arrangements have been made in Turkish Language and Literature, History, Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Art History, and this will continue to be done."
"LONGER INTERNSHIPS ARE NEEDED IN PRACTICAL PROGRAMS"
YÖK President Özvar emphasized the shortness of internship durations, stating, "There is a need for longer internships in practical programs. Internships should not last 20-25 days, but at least one semester, as they provide our graduates with greater job opportunities after graduation. One of the most serious obstacles to vocational education in Turkey is the shortness of internship durations.
Our proposal to our universities is this: why not switch to 3+1 or 2+2 models in associate degrees? We strongly support associate and undergraduate programs that involve more practical experience. Programs should no longer be filled with theoretical courses. We want children to gain knowledge, skills, and competencies through these applications in whichever program they are in. A person who studies can only gain knowledge to a certain extent. Application is essential for skills and competencies. Some of these applications must be in our university, while others must be in workplaces or other institutions and organizations," he stated.