YÖK President announces: 3-year education period is coming to universities

Council of Higher Education (YÖK) President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar has announced that a comprehensive study is being conducted to reduce the four-year undergraduate education applied at universities to three years. Speaking on a program he attended on CNN Türk, Özvar stated that in the new system, students will still complete eight semesters, but this process will be concluded within three years through a more intensive education plan. Özvar also underlined that there will be no step back from academic standards.

Stating that they aim for a comprehensive renewal process in higher education, Özvar said that programs that have lost their functionality and relevance are being removed from the system. Expressing that new departments based on artificial intelligence and digital transformation are being put into operation, Özvar emphasized that the efforts to shorten the education period are also an important part of this transformation. He noted that their goal is to ensure that students can graduate in a shorter time while preserving their learning outcomes.

THREE-SEMESTER MODEL PER YEAR

Stating that it is planned for an academic year to consist of three semesters with the new regulation, Özvar used the following expressions regarding the subject:

"We aim to proceed with the logic of three semesters in a year, covering a part of the summer term as well. Currently, a semester lasts 14 weeks. We are planning to structure it in a more intensive and compact way. We are reorganizing the programs in a more intensive and compact manner based on 11-12 week semesters. In this model, education will start in September and end in July. If it is not ready for the 2026-2027 academic year, we will implement it in the following academic year."