On July 1, 2025, Türkiye’s parliament passed an omnibus law giving the president the sole power to appoint rectors in public and private foundational universities.

In 2018, the Turkish government passed an emergency decree giving the Turkish president the power to directly appoint university rectors. In 2024, the state’s constitutional court ruled that power unconstitutional. The ruling was set to go into effect on June 1, 2025. However, on July 1, the Turkish government passed a law returning to the president the power to appoint rectors and eliminated eligibility requirements for rectorship. For private foundation universities, the board of trustees may make a recommendation on rectorship, but the president has the final say. For public universities, there is no provision requiring input from the university community.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about government encroachments on universities’ authority to set policies concerning personnel, admissions, curricula, and the establishment of particular programs. Such actions undermine university autonomy and inhibit institutions’ ability to function freely, undermining academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-europe-politics-2025-8-new-turkish-rector-law-at-odds-with-european-standards/
https://mesana.org/advocacy/committee-on-academic-freedom/2025/08/11/reinstatement-of-presidential-authority-to-appoint-university-rectors-in-defiance-of-constitutional-court-ruling
https://eua.eu/news/eua-news/the-government-of-tuerkiye-misses-opportunity-to-align-appointment-of-rectors-with-european-standards.html
https://www.endangeredscholarsworldwide.net/post/new-law-reaffirms-presidential-control-over-turkish-higher-education