Turkey’s YÖK boosts AI and digital curricula across 171 universities

Over the past three years the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) has added 81 new artificial‑intelligence and informatics programmes, bringing the total number of AI‑related programmes at 171 Turkish universities to 785. The capacity for associate‑degree programmes rose from 1,610 to 6,828 seats, a more‑than‑four‑fold increase, while undergraduate slots grew to 4,420. Graduate studies saw 182 new specialisations under 33 headings.

New interdisciplinary bachelor programmes such as "History and Artificial Intelligence", "Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence" and "Business and Artificial Intelligence" will admit students for the first time in the 2026 YKS exam cycle. Technical associate programmes include AI‑supported web design and coding, digital game technologies, mobile security, and similar fields.

The AI and Data School, created under YÖK with Marmara University, METU, ITU and Boğaziçi University, graduated about 30,000 participants in its first year, offering a free online curriculum that supports Turkey’s digital‑economy and AI ecosystem. YÖK President Erol Özvar said the reforms are part of the "Turkey Century" vision to transform higher education from a follower to a driver of technological change.