Has the 2023-2024 Academic Calendar Been Postponed? Is the Education Face-to-Face?

Has the 2023-2024 Academic Calendar Been Postponed? Is the Education Face-to-Face?

Following the earthquake in Turkey in February, universities were compelled to switch to remote education for the spring term of the 2022-2023 academic year, with all universities completing the term via online learning.

As the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year approaches, concerns and questions about this academic year have intensified in students’ minds. Primarily, questions arise about whether the 2023-2024 academic calendar has been postponed, followed by queries about the mode of education – whether it will be face-to-face or online.

Has the 2023-2024 Academic Calendar Been Postponed?

Recent adverse events, notably the wildfire disaster, have heightened university students’ expectations regarding potential postponements of the academic calendar. The decision of a few universities to delay and push back their academic calendar to October 2 further amplifies these expectations.

Given this situation, students from other universities are curious if they will also be affected by these changes. As of now, there hasn’t been an official statement from the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) that binds all universities, and the general expectation is that there will be no changes in the academic calendars.

Nonetheless, the final decision about potential changes rests with the senate of individual universities, which have the authority to make changes if deemed necessary. Hence, every student should keep an eye on the official website of their respective institutions or communicate with their student affairs offices for updates.

Will Universities Offer Remote Education in the 2023-2024 Academic Year?

The current decision for the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year is to conduct education in a face-to-face mode in universities. However, there is a decision by the Council of Higher Education for certain courses known as ‘Atatürk’s Principles and History of Revolution, Foreign Language, Turkish Language’ to be offered online.

In addition to this, it is also encouraged for up to 30% of the curriculum to be taught remotely. There are no further decisions on any additional courses being shifted to online mode. Students are advised to closely follow the websites of their institutions, especially the student affairs departments, for any possible changes.