Türkiye’s Council of Higher Education is developing a model that would allow four-year bachelor’s programmes to be completed in three years without reducing credits or learning outcomes.
The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) is preparing a structural reform that could significantly reshape the country’s higher education landscape. It includes a model allowing students to complete a standard four-year bachelor’s degree in three years without cutting academic content, credits or educational quality and outcomes. YÖK President Prof. Erol Özvar announced this on Monday at a senate meeting of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University in Istanbul during an official visit.
Özvar stressed that the reform has been designed in close consultation with universities and is aligned with the “Turkish Higher Education Vision 2030”, which aims to modernise higher education while maintaining academic quality. According to Özvar, the proposed model is based on creating a third semester, enabling students to complete eight semesters in a shorter period. He said the initiative in no way means reducing course load, credits or programme competencies, addressing concerns that faster graduation could lower standards.
“There will be no reduction in education and training,” Özvar said. “We are cutting neither credits nor learning outcomes. On the contrary, our aim is to use time more effectively so students graduate sooner and enter working life faster.”
According to Özvar, programmes that no longer offer graduates good job prospects will gradually be phased out, and YÖK will stop setting admission quotas for them. He urged universities not to insist on continuing programmes that do not offer students an acceptable career path: “Programmes that do not provide a future for students and their families will continue to be removed from the education system.”
Özvar also announced further changes to quotas for programmes admitting students based on national rankings. Fields such as law, dentistry, pharmacy, architecture, psychology and some education faculty programmes will continue to be reviewed to balance graduate supply with labour-market demand. He advised exam candidates and their families to follow quota changes, admission rankings and past scores closely, saying that reviewing trends over the past three to five years can help make more informed choices.
Another key pillar of YÖK’s reform is the expansion of programmes related to AI and new technologies. Özvar said nearly 20 interdisciplinary AI-based programmes have been launched in the past three years, 13 of them at bachelor’s level. These are now offered at about 100 state universities, reflecting Türkiye’s strategic approach to aligning higher education with global technological change. In addition, YÖK has significantly cut quotas in fields traditionally linked to teaching careers, including Turkish language and literature, history, sociology, philosophy, anthropology and art history, to prevent a surplus of graduates in areas with limited employment capacity.
The reform also places special emphasis on applied and vocational training. Özvar criticised the short internships in many programmes, saying that placements lasting only a few weeks cannot equip students with sufficient practical skills. “In practice-based vocational programmes, internships should last at least one full semester,” he said. YÖK is encouraging universities, especially at associate-degree level, to use models such as 3+1 or 2+2 so students spend more time in real workplaces. Özvar stressed that university programmes should not rely solely on theory, and that skills and competencies can only be gained through continuous practical experience. In the 3+1 model, students study for three semesters at university and spend one full semester in a mandatory workplace internship, gaining practical experience before graduation.
