Erdogan revokes Istanbul Bilgi University licence after state seizure

ANKARA: Turkiye has cancelled the operating licence of Istanbul Bilgi University, effectively shutting down the institution with immediate effect, a decision published in the Official Gazette on Friday.

The move came after the university was taken over by the state last year as part of a criminal investigation. President Tayyip Erdogan approved the decree revoking the licence of Istanbul Bilgi, a private university with more than 20,000 students from Turkiye and other countries.

The decision means the university, known for its focus on the social sciences, can no longer continue operations. The closure took effect immediately under the published decree.

Grounds cited in decree

The measure was taken under a law that permits the closure of a private institution if

the expected level of education and training… is insufficient

Some of the university’s researchers are well known in their respective fields. However, the decree published on Friday formally ended the institution’s ability to operate.

Students face uncertainty

Turkiye’s Council of Higher Education, known as YOK, said it would take the necessary steps to ensure that students at the university do not face harm as a result of the closure. The issue is particularly urgent because students at the university were due to sit end-of-year examinations in June.

YOK said it would take

the necessary measures

so that the students

suffer no harm

. However, the council did not specify whether students would be transferred to other universities in the coming weeks.

It also did not explain how the transition would be managed following the immediate closure of the institution.

Istanbul Bilgi University had enrolled more than 20,000 students, including both domestic and international students, making the decision significant for a large academic community.

The revocation of the licence was announced through the Official Gazette, making the decision formal and enforceable immediately. The university’s closure followed the earlier state seizure and was justified in the decree through the legal provision concerning insufficient educational and training standards.

While YOK pledged action to protect students, questions remained over where affected students would continue their studies and how arrangements would be made ahead of the June examination period.