The 2022-2023 Higher Education Academic Year Opening Ceremony was held by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) on Monday, October 10, 2022 at the Presidential Complex with the participation of the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The collective academic year opening ceremony was attended by the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vice President Fuat Oktay, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mustafa Şentop, Chairperson of YÖK Erol Özvar, ministers and top officials, front-benchers, YÖK members, heads of relevant institutions, ambassadors, our Rector, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Fadime Üney Yüksektepe and Prof. Dr. Gülce Öğrüç Ildız, our Rector Advisor Assist. Dr. Pınar Çağla Kandıralıoğlu Cuylan, our Secretary General Assist. Dr. İbrahim Ethem Tarhan, our students Şevder Dik and Ahmet Burak Pamukoğlu, as well as all university rectors, academics and students.

In the ceremony, a concert by Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University Turkish Music State Conservatory was held. Afterwards, a video was screened about the development and current status of Turkish higher education titled “Higher Education”.

At the ceremony, YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar and the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made the opening speeches.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stated that the state has utilized all its means to facilitate the access of young people to higher education in his speech.

Starting his speech by his wishes that the 2022-2023 Academic Year of our universities will prove to be good for our country, YÖK President Erol Özvar pointed out that under the leadership of President Erdoğan, “there has been a significant increase in the number of higher education institutions in Türkiye and that there is now no city without a university. This has expanded Türkiye higher education capacity and thus, more students from all over the country have access to higher education. In the last 20 years in our country, significant improvements have been made in access to higher education with the increase in higher education opportunities, the establishment of new universities and the regulations in the quotas. As the Council of Higher Education, easing the access of our young people who have completed their secondary education and want to study to higher education is undoubtedly among our priorities.” he said.