Turkey has revoked the operational licence for Istanbul Bilgi University, effectively forcing it to close, according to a decision published in the Official Gazette on Friday, after the university was seized by the state in a criminal investigation last year.
Istanbul Bigli University © IBU
Turkey has revoked the operational licence for Istanbul Bilgi University, effectively forcing it to close, according to a decision published in the Official Gazette on Friday, after the university was seized by the state in a criminal investigation last year.
Istanbul Bilgi University was established in 1996 and bought by Can Holding in 2019.
Can Holding's companies were seized by the state as part of a money laundering, tax evasion and organised crime investigation last year.
A trustee was appointed to run the university following last year's seizure. It has some 22,000 students, with around 3,400 students registering in 2025.
Turkish media say students will continue their studies at the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, the Istanbul Bilgi University's guarantor school. A guarantor school is legally required for all foundation universities and must be a state university.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signed off on the decision to revoke Istanbul Bilgi's licence.
Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu
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