The Higher Education Council (YÖK) has extended the "special student" status for university students affected by the devastating Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes for another academic year, allowing them to continue their education at other public universities across Türkiye.
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the higher education regulatory body introduced a relief measure for youths studying in the four hardest-hit areas across southern and southeastern Türkiye, namely Adıyaman, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya.
The "special student" system allows students who cannot return to their campuses because of damaged infrastructure or housing shortages to temporarily continue their studies at other public universities while remaining officially enrolled at their home institutions. To ensure academic continuity, host universities must offer equivalent programs taught in the same language as the students' original degrees.
The measure, first introduced as an emergency response, has remained in force throughout the 2023-2024, 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years. YÖK has now decided to continue the arrangement for another academic year as recovery efforts in the earthquake zone continue.
The framework for the policy was established during a Higher Education Executive Board meeting on Sept. 5, 2023, after authorities assessed extensive damage to university campuses and the region's housing capacity.
Under the framework, YÖK authorized university administrations in the affected provinces to determine which associate and undergraduate programs could safely resume in person based on available campus facilities, while allowing others to continue through online education.
The arrangement is supported by Türkiye's inter-university credit transfer regulations, allowing students to continue their studies without losing academic progress.
Now, by extending this academic lifeline through the 2025-2026 academic year, the Turkish higher education authority acknowledges that comprehensive recovery is a long-term process.
While massive state-led reconstruction campaigns are actively rebuilding devastated southern and southeastern provinces, fully restoring campus capacities and permanent student housing takes time.
By maintaining the special student status, YÖK aims to ensure that thousands of students can continue their education uninterrupted while their home universities gradually regain full capacity.