Istanbul – In a televised interview with CNN Turk’s Hakan Çelik on Saturday, Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, president of Turkey’s Higher Education Council (YÖK), outlined a sweeping reform agenda for Turkish universities. Özvar said the ministry will simplify study programmes, reduce the number of mandatory courses, modernise content and embed artificial‑intelligence (AI) and digital‑skill training throughout the curriculum.

According to Özvar, a typical Turkish bachelor’s degree currently comprises about 60 courses, whereas European institutions usually require 20‑25 courses for the same qualification. “Course numbers must be lowered and the curriculum streamlined,” he asserted, adding that “universities must take concrete steps to update course content and introduce AI literacy as a core component of study programmes.”

The YÖK chief also confirmed that a working group is already analysing the feasibility of shortening the four‑year undergraduate cycle to three years. He explained that the proposed three‑year model would be built around 180 ECTS credits, a structure already common in many European countries, including 3 + 2 programmes for fields such as architecture and engineering. “We have been preparing our universities for this change for the past year,” Özvar said.

Employment considerations were another focal point of the interview. Özvar noted that historically university education and labour‑market outcomes were treated separately, but that “today universities must look at employability.” He highlighted that programmes with low graduate employment are being phased out while roughly 80 new, market‑oriented programmes have been launched. Outdated courses are being removed from the system.

On the broader higher‑education landscape, Özvar pointed to recent gains in Turkey’s scientific output. He claimed that Turkey’s ranking in global scientific publications has risen from 35th to 13th, a jump he linked to increased research funding and the presence of 20 state and three foundation research universities.

Internationalisation also features in the council’s agenda. Turkey now hosts close to 380,000 foreign students and employs about 3,000 international academics, generating roughly US$3 billion in annual revenue. Özvar argued that beyond the economic impact, these students enhance Turkey’s global influence.

The president warned that the current length of the education pipeline—12 years of compulsory schooling plus a four‑year bachelor’s degree, amounting to 16 years—delays entry into the workforce. For male graduates, mandatory military service, internships and job searches push the average age of first employment to 26‑27. Coupled with declining birth rates, delayed marriages and an overall shrinking population, Özvar stressed the urgency of shortening study periods to keep the country’s human capital competitive.

The interview, first broadcast on 7 November 2026, concluded with a call for universities to act swiftly on curriculum reform and to prepare for the upcoming transition to a three‑year bachelor’s structure. The full interview can be accessed via CNN Turk’s website (https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/yok-baskani-ozvar-cnn-turkte-3490143).