December 22, 2025

Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education, stated that efforts to enable the completion of undergraduate education within three years are ongoing, noting: “Graduating from university in three years will provide significant financial savings and allow students to enter professional life in a much shorter time.”

During his visit to Istanbul, Özvar visited Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University (FSMVU) and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSU).

At FSMVU, Özvar received information from Rector Nevzat Şimşek on the university’s ongoing activities, attended a senate meeting, and met with faculty members. In his remarks, he stated that efforts are continuing within the framework of Türkiye’s higher education vision for 2030.

Addressing the regulation aimed at completing undergraduate education in three years, Özvar said: “We are working on introducing a third semester that will allow our students to graduate in a shorter period without any loss of credits and without compromising program competencies or learning outcomes, while maintaining the same credit and course-hour structure.”

“There Will Be No Reduction in Education and Training”

Emphasizing that they aim to implement as soon as possible the regulation that will allow students to complete eight semesters within three years, Erol Özvar continued:

“Some questions naturally arise—whether credits will be reduced, whether fewer courses will be taken, or whether education itself will be diminished. The answer is no: there will be no reduction in education and training. Rather, we aim to make more effective use of the academic year. In this way, significant savings will be achieved in terms of costs and expenditures, while enabling our students to enter professional life in a shorter time. We would like to implement this initiative together in the near future.”

Özvar also noted that the abolition of evening education and the removal from the system of many programs that have lost their connection to employment have created substantial time gaps across many universities.

“Programs No Longer Aligned with Labor Market Needs Are Being Phased Out”

Stressing that programs which have become weak in providing employment opportunities for their graduates will continue to be phased out, Özvar said: “We expect our universities to abandon their insistence on offering these programs, as we will no longer allocate quotas to them.” Recalling that dozens of programs have already been removed from the system under this approach, Özvar added: “We will carry out another round of streamlining this year as well.”

“We Will Continue to Adjust Quotas”

Emphasizing that quota adjustments will continue in some programs that admit students based on achievement rankings, Özvar stated: “We will make quota adjustments in law, dentistry, pharmacy, architecture, psychology, and in certain programs within faculties of education.”

Noting that significant quota revisions have also been implemented in programs that serve as pathways to the teaching profession, Özvar said: “Substantial quota adjustments have been made in programs such as Turkish Language and Literature, History, Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Art History. These adjustments will continue in the future as well.”

– A Warning to University Applicants –

Addressing prospective university applicants and their families, Erol Özvar advised them to closely monitor the previous year’s quotas, achievement rankings, and score thresholds of the programs they plan to choose.

Özvar said: “If possible, you should definitely take into account the quotas, scores, and rankings of each program over the past three to five years. Failing to do so may lead to serious misjudgments.”

– Internship Periods Will Be Extended –

Özvar also noted that another key issue the Council of Higher Education is focusing on is workplace-based vocational training.

Stating that consultations with both public and private sector representatives have revealed the need to take significant steps regarding internships, Özvar said: “Especially in vocational programs that involve practical training, there is a need for much longer internship periods. Internships lasting not just 20–25 days, but at least one full semester, provide our graduates with far greater employment opportunities after graduation.”

“Foundation Universities Play a Central Role in the Sustainable University Model”

Erol Özvar stated that sustainability has become a key focus for many international organizations, particularly the United Nations, noting that building a sustainable ecosystem is now one of the world’s principal agenda items.

Emphasizing that one of the most significant contributions of Turkish-Islamic civilizations to human history has been the foundation tradition, Özvar said: “Foundation universities are at the forefront of the sustainable university model the world is seeking. Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University was established with the resources and support of an ancient foundation. Having a university built upon a foundation with a history spanning more than half a millennium, and serving our country through such an institution, is a great source of pride.”

Özvar underlined that the Council of Higher Education considers it a fundamental responsibility to maintain an equal and impartial approach toward all universities, without distinguishing between public and foundation institutions.

Following the senate meeting, Özvar attended the opening of the “Fakrname in Miniatures” exhibition, which presents the work Fakrname by Hoca Ahmet Yesevi, regarded as the spiritual leader of the Turkic world, through the art of miniature painting. He also inaugurated the “Video Art and Poster Exhibition – Like, Save, Share”, themed “Social Media Addiction”, featuring works produced by undergraduate and graduate students within the scope of the Video Art course led by Asst. Prof. Amine Refika.

Özvar later visited Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, where he conveyed his best wishes to Prof. Ahmet Sacit Açıkgözoğlu, who was newly appointed following the passing of Prof. Handan İnci Elçi.