AI Revolution in Turkish Universities: YÖK's Unprecedented Initiative

Today, July 14, 2026, the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) released its final academic development report, marking a major leap in integrating modern technologies into higher education. According to Erol Özvar, President of YÖK, Turkey has become a global leader in rapidly adapting its educational system to the AI era [1].

Unprecedented Expansion of Specialized Departments and Capacities Over the past three years, YÖK has successfully launched 81 new departments in AI and informatics across the country. With this move, the total number of related educational programs in 171 Turkish universities has reached a staggering 785 [3].

A notable aspect of this transformation is the significant increase in student capacity. Associate degree capacity in AI-related fields has risen from 1,610 to 6,828, representing more than a fourfold growth. Additionally, undergraduate capacity has been upgraded to 4,420 to meet the intense market demand for data and AI specialists [2].

AI at the Heart of Humanities: From History to Philosophy One of the most innovative parts of this 'revolution' is moving AI beyond engineering and into humanities and administrative sciences. For the first time in the 2026-2027 academic year, departments such as 'History and AI,' 'Philosophy and AI,' and 'Business Administration and AI' will admit students [1][3]. This interdisciplinary approach aims to train professionals who can use digital tools for complex human and social analysis.

Furthermore, new associate programs like 'AI-Assisted Web Design and Coding' and 'Digital Game Technologies' have been introduced, directly addressing the needs of the entertainment and mobile security industries [2].

AI School and the 2030 Vision Alongside formal university education, the 'AI and Data School,' which operates online and for free under YÖK's supervision, has trained 30,000 certified graduates in its first year alone [1]. This institution plays a vital role in enhancing general digital literacy.

These developments are part of Turkey's larger 2026-2030 roadmap announced by the Presidency. The plan includes a $10 billion investment in data infrastructure and training 5 million citizens in AI literacy to place Turkey among the top 20 countries globally in AI readiness indices [4]. Erol Özvar emphasized that this path will continue with close cooperation between industry and academia to ensure graduate employment [2].