Significant Changes in Employment and Retirement Laws for Turkish University Professors

Today, July 2, 2026, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) witnessed the presentation of a 28-article bill marking significant developments in the country's academic structure. Proposed by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), this bill focuses specifically on the livelihood and professional status of faculty members [1].

Extension of Retirement Contracts and New Financial Benefits One of the most important parts of this amendment concerns professors who have reached the legal retirement age (67 years). According to the new regulations, although the mandatory retirement age has not changed, the duration of contracts for professors who continue their activities after age 67 has been increased from one year to two years [2].

Furthermore, financial discrimination between permanent and contract (retired) professors has been largely eliminated. From now on, retired professors working on a contract basis will be eligible to receive "additional tuition fees," "development bonuses," and "academic incentives"; benefits that were previously only available to permanent staff [1][3].

Security Oversight and Combating Academic Corruption The new bill has also tightened employment conditions. According to this resolution, all applicants for university faculty positions must successfully pass "security investigation" and "archive search" stages [3]. This measure, aimed at increasing security in educational environments, has sparked various reactions within the academic community.

Additionally, the Turkish Parliament has considered heavy penalties for "academic fraud." Individuals who have their theses, articles, or books prepared by others, or who mediate in this process, will face the risk of permanent expulsion from the teaching profession and heavy fines [3].

New Powers for the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) In line with better human resource management, the Council of Higher Education of Turkey (YÖK) is now authorized to limit the number of contract professors based on the needs of departments, educational programs, and the capacity of each university [2]. The council is responsible for drafting precise academic criteria for continuing cooperation with retired professors to maintain the quality of higher education [1].

These reforms are part of a larger package that includes a "student amnesty" for students dismissed after 2022 and the renaming of "Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University" to "İstiklal University of Science and Technology" [3].