Higher Education Council (YÖK)

The Higher Education Council (abbreviated as YÖK) is an autonomous public institution with constitutional basis, responsible for planning, regulating, managing, and overseeing all higher education institutions in Türkiye. The Council operates to ensure coordination among universities and to establish national standards for higher education.

History

The legal foundation of the Higher Education Council was established by Articles 130 and 131 of the 1982 Constitution. Its establishment and actual commencement of operations were realized through Law No. 2547 on Higher Education, adopted on 6 November 1981.^【1】 This law brought all higher education institutions in Türkiye under the umbrella of the Higher Education Council and assigned to it the responsibility of regulating their academic, administrative and financial affairs.

YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar (Anadolu Agency)

President

The President of the Higher Education Council is the highest administrative authority of the Council and is responsible for managing all its activities. The YÖK President is appointed by the President of the Republic of Türkiye. The current president of the Council is Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, who was appointed to this position by a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on 1 August 2025^【2】. Prior to his appointment, Prof. Dr. Özvar held various academic and administrative positions at several universities, including rectorship at Marmara University.

Monitoring Board

The Higher Education Monitoring Board is an organ directly subordinate to the Presidency of the Higher Education Council. Its primary responsibility is to monitor the academic, administrative and financial activities of higher education institutions. The Monitoring Board has the authority to examine and investigate whether university operations comply with applicable regulations.

The Board consists of a president and members. Current members of the Monitoring Board include Ercan Özkan, Mevlüt Özçelik, Prof. Dr. Metin Dağdeviren, Prof. Dr. Tarık Yarılgaç, Güray Irmak, Prof. Dr. Osman Karamustafa, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ulusoy, Aydın Sarı, Prof. Dr. Uğur Kaya, Recep Uz, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Duman, Süleyman Necati Akçeşme, Dr. Metin Küçük, Prof. Dr. Rahman Ademi, Mustafa Coşkun and Prof. Dr. İbrahim Çapak.

General Assembly

The Higher Education General Assembly functions as the highest decision-making body of YÖK and convenes under the chairmanship of the YÖK President. The General Assembly comprises the YÖK President, Vice Presidents, members of the Executive Board, members appointed by the President of the Republic of Türkiye and members elected by the Inter-University Council (ÜAK). Its fundamental duties include preparing regulations concerning the higher education system, making decisions on the establishment of new universities or faculties, and appointing deans.

The Higher Education Council (YÖK) General Assembly is currently chaired by Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar. The vice-presidential duties are carried out by Prof. Dr. Metin Topçuoğlu and Prof. Dr. Naci Gündoğan.

Members of the General Assembly include Prof. Dr. Munire Kevser Baş, Prof. Dr. Murteza Bedir, Prof. Dr. Hayrunnisa Bolay Belen, Prof. Dr. İlker Hüseyin Çarıkçı, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Huriye Reyhan Demircioğlu, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, Prof. Dr. Derviş Karaboğa, Prof. Dr. Rümeyza Kazancıoğlu, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, Prof. Dr. Halit Eyüp Özdemir, Prof. Dr. Burhaneddin Sandıkçı and İbrahim Şenel.

Executive Board

The Higher Education Council (YÖK) Executive Board operates under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar. The vice-presidential duties are carried out by Prof. Dr. Metin Topçuoğlu and Prof. Dr. Naci Gündoğan.

The Executive Board includes Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak, Prof. Dr. Erol Arcaklıoğlu, Prof. Dr. Arif Bilgin, Prof. Dr. H. Haldun Göktaş, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Karaman and Prof. Dr. Kemal Şenocak.

This board plays a key role in the formulation of strategic decisions in higher education, ensuring coordination among universities and implementing higher education policies. It also provides advisory support to the President to ensure the effective management and execution of the Higher Education Council’s activities.

Former Presidents

Since its establishment in 1981, the Higher Education Council has had several presidents. The founding and first president of the Council was Prof. Dr. İhsan Doğramacı. The subsequent presidents, in chronological order, are Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sağlam, Prof. Dr. Kemal Gürüz, Prof. Dr. Erdoğan Teziç, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Ziya Özcan, Prof. Dr. Gökhan Çetinsaya and Prof. Dr. M. A. Yekta Saraç.

^{List of YÖK presidents}

Mission and Vision

The Higher Education Council defines its mission as transforming Türkiye’s higher education system into a structure competitive at the international level. This mission aims to coordinate a higher education system that responds to societal needs, prioritizes quality, and is grounded in autonomy and accountability. The Council’s vision is to become an innovative, quality-focused higher education institution that leads the future and possesses international competitiveness.

Legislation

The activities of the Higher Education Council and universities in Türkiye are governed by a specific legal framework. The foundation of this system is Law No. 2547 on Higher Education. Additionally, Law No. 2809, which regulates the organizational structure of higher education institutions, constitutes another important legal basis. On the Council’s official website, these fundamental laws are supplemented by other subordinate regulations including decrees with the force of law (KHK), international agreements, regulations and guidelines.

YÖK Atlas Program

YÖK Atlas is an online application developed by the Higher Education Council to support university applicants during their preference processes. The platform is designed to enable applicants to make more informed choices based on their results in the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS). Through modules such as the “Undergraduate Atlas” and “Associate Degree Atlas,” YÖK Atlas provides the public with data on program capacities, placement scores from previous years, ranking positions and statistics on program graduates.