Transformation in Turkish Higher Education: Opening of 81 New Departments and Significant Capacity Increases in 2026

The Council of Higher Education (YÖK), in an official statement released today, July 13, 2026, unveiled a major structural transformation in the country's university system. According to reports published by reputable sources such as "Gazete Detay," a total of 81 new departments in the fields of artificial intelligence, digital, and informatics have been added to the educational system over the past three years, bringing the total number of training programs in these fields to 785 across 171 universities [1][2].

Focus on Artificial Intelligence and Future Careers With the aim of strengthening global competitiveness and training specialized human resources for the digital age, the Turkish government has introduced innovative interdisciplinary departments into the 2026 preference guide. For the first time, candidates can study at the undergraduate level in fields such as "History and Artificial Intelligence," "Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence," and "Management and Artificial Intelligence" [3]. This move reflects Turkey's new strategy to integrate modern technologies with the humanities and management to train graduates with multi-dimensional perspectives.

Unprecedented Leap in Student Admission Capacity One of the most important parts of this announcement is the stunning increase in admission capacity (Kontenjan) for technical fields. According to official statistics, the admission capacity for associate degree programs related to artificial intelligence and informatics has increased from 1,610 to 6,828, representing a growth of more than fourfold [2][5]. Additionally, in the field of cybersecurity, educational capacities have increased nearly sevenfold compared to previous years to cover the labor market's urgent need for network security specialists [3]. At the undergraduate level, capacities have been upgraded from 2,355 seats to 4,420 seats.

New Associate and Graduate Degree Programs In addition to the undergraduate level, new practical associate degree programs such as "Web Design and Coding with the Help of AI," "Design and Animation with the Help of AI," "Digital Game Technologies," and "Mobile Security Technologies" are admitting students for the first time [5]. Significant developments have also occurred at the graduate level, with 182 new programs launched under 33 specialized titles in various universities across the country to pave the way for advanced research [6].

Success of the AI and Data School The Council of Higher Education also pointed to the success of the "AI and Data School," which is managed in cooperation with top-tier universities such as Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), and Boğaziçi University. In its first year of operation, this center successfully trained 30,000 graduates with valid certificates, marking a major step toward realizing Turkey's digital transformation goals [2][6]. These extensive reforms promise a new chapter in the Turkish educational system and increase the attractiveness of the country's universities for domestic and international students.