Istanbul Bilgi University () is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

founded in 1996, located in

Eyüpsultan Eyüpsultan or Eyüp () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 228 km2, and its population is 422,913 (2022). The district extends from the Golden Horn all the way to t ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey. The university has four campuses in Istanbul: SantralIstanbul, Kuştepe, Dolapdere, and Kozyatağı.

History

The university was established with the principle " ''Non scholae, sed vitae discimus''", and is regarded as Turkey's fourth private university. Its precursor institution was the Istanbul School of International Studies. In 2007, the university expanded with the opening of its SantralIstanbul Campus, located on the site of the Silahtarağa Power Plant, the first urban-scale power plant of the Ottoman Empire. The Kozyatağı Campus was later established on the Asian side of Istanbul in 2015. In 2019, Can Holding became a supporter of the Bilgi Education and Culture Foundation, which oversees the university. The university furthered its internationalization efforts in 2020 through a collaboration with

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

aimed at improving the quality of education and research. According to the 2020 Turkey University Satisfaction Survey, Istanbul Bilgi University ranked among the ''A group universities'' in the country. In 2025, Istanbul Bilgi University is ranked among the top 5 private universities in Turkey according to the

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

. Academic representatives from each department, elected by the students in the fall semester, are part of the university council. The university also offers a vibrant student life, with various student clubs. In 2007, Istanbul Bilgi University established an official student LGBT organization, named ''Gökkuşağı'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: Rainbow). Since its foundation, Istanbul Bilgi University has been administered by the Board of Trustees, consisting of 11 members. The current president of the board is Dr. Çağrı Bağcıoğlu.

Campuses

Istanbul Bilgi University Santralistanbul Campus in March 2023

SantralIstanbul Campus is the largest of Istanbul Bilgi University's four campuses. The campus is home to the Main Gallery building, which serves as a venue for contemporary art exhibitions and cultural events. In 2010, the Main Gallery received the prestigious

International Architecture Awards The Chicago Athenaeum is a private museum of architecture and design, based in Galena, Illinois. The museum focuses on the art of design in all areas of the discipline: architecture, industrial and product design, graphics, landscape architecture ...

. Additionally, the campus includes an annex building offering over 5,000 square meters of space to approximately 3,000 students, located just a four-minute walk from the main campus.

Dolapdere Dolapdere is a quarter of Beyoğlu district in central Istanbul, Turkey. It is surrounded by the quarters of Taksim, Kasımpaşa, Pangaltı and Kurtuluş. Sites * There is a museum dedicated to the memory of Adam Mickiewicz, the 19th century Pol ...

Campus is situated near Taksim in Istanbul. This campus has received multiple accolades, including the "Structure and Life Architecture Award" in 2002 and the "European Award for Steel Structure" in 2005. Dolapdere Campus houses the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, as well as a fitness center and a short-course swimming pool. Kuştepe Campus is located in the Şişli district of Istanbul and is Istanbul Bilgi University's first campus.

Libraries and museums

Istanbul Bilgi University has three libraries, one in Dolapdere Campus, one in Kuştepe Campus, and one in santralistanbul Campus. İstanbul Bilgi University's Library offers an extensive system to support degree programs, research and teaching. santralistanbul Campus has the Energy Museum. Istanbul Bilgi University Press was founded in 2000.

Memberships and international affiliations

The university has partner agreements in 40 countries within the scope of Erasmus Programme, Bilateral and Swiss Mobility programs. It is a member of the

European University Association The European University Association (EUA) represents more than 800 institutions of higher education in 48 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and the exchange of information on higher education and research policies. Members of ...

(EUA), The Magna Charta Observatory of Fundamental University Values and Rights,

United Nations Global Compact The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to get businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is the world's ...

(UNGC), Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), OECD Higher Education Programme, IMHE, and the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to busines ...

(AACSB). Additionally, the university offers

University of London Worldwide The University of London Worldwide (previously called the University of London International Academy) is the central academic body that manages external study programmes within the federal University of London. All courses are branded as simply ...

double degree programs in economics. Istanbul Bilgi University is accredited by the Council of Higher Education of Turkey and the

European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), formerly the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, was established to represent quality assurance and accreditation Accreditation is the independent ...

(ENQA).

Rankings and awards

Istanbul Bilgi University has ranked among the top 130 universities in the “Top Universities in Emerging Europe and Central Asia” 2020 list of the reputable higher education quality surveyor QS. According to the rankings, BİLGİ is among the top four non-profit universities in Turkey. In 2024, Istanbul Bilgi University was recognized in the QS Sustainability Ranking, where it was ranked as the fourth-best non-profit university in Turkey. This ranking evaluates universities' efforts in addressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Globally, Bilgi University was placed in the 1001-1050 range. Notably, it ranked third among Turkish foundation universities for 'environmental impact' and 'governance', and fourth in 'social impact'. The 2019 results of Turkey's University Satisfaction Survey (TÜMA) ranked Istanbul Bilgi University in the A group, indicating a high level of satisfaction. The university was also ranked among the top 400 universities in the field of political sciences according to the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2019 report conducted by

Shanghai Ranking The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ...

. Additionally, Istanbul Bilgi University ranked third in

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

's "Best Universities of Turkey 2018" survey.

Controversies

According to the Turkish media outlet ''

Cumhuriyet ''Cumhuriyet'' (; English: "Republic") is the oldest up-market Turkish daily newspaper. It has been described as "the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey". The newspaper was awarded the ''Freedom of Press ...

'', Bilgi has been accused of having connections with the US

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

. It was part of an investigation into an alleged 2016 taking by a Bilgi University board member of $18 million in funds meant for a Turkish reforestation program was closed in 2018 by the

US Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equ ...

, having considered charges of corruption violations. In 2018, the

closed its inquiry into possible corruption violations.

Notable people

Faculty

Asaf Savaş Akat Professor Asaf Savaş Akat (born 3 February 1943) is a Turkish economist and academic. He served as Rector of Istanbul Bilgi University from 1996 to 1998, where he remains a Professor. Early life and education In 1954 he attended Levent İlkokul ...

— Turkish economist *

Ulus Baker Ulus Sedat Baker (July 14, 1960 – July 12, 2007) was a Turkish Cypriot sociologist. Biography Baker was born on July 14, 1960, in Leningrad, USSR. He was born to a cosmopolitan family; his mother was the Cypriot poet Pembe Marmara, and his fath ...

— Turkish sociologist *

Murat Belge Murat Belge (born 16 March 1943) is a Turkish academic, translator, literary critic, columnist, civil rights activist, and occasional tour guide. Early life Belge is the son of political journalist Burhan Asaf Belge (who was married to Hung ...

— Turkish literary critic *

İsmail Cem İsmail Cem (born İsmail Cem İpekçi, 15 February 1940 – 24 January 2007) was a Turkish Centre-left politics, centre-leftist politician, intellectual, writer, author and journalist who served as the Minister of Culture (Turkey), Minister ...

— Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey *

Ricky Ford Ricky Ford (born March 4, 1954) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Ford was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States,) and studied at the New England Conservatory. Ricky Ford AllMusic In 1974, he recorded with Gunther Sch ...

— American jazz tenor saxophonist *

Pınar Kür Havva Pınar Kür (born 15 April 1943) is a Turkish novelist and dramatist. She currently teaches at Istanbul Bilgi University. Pınar Kür is the daughter of İsmet Kür (1916–2013), who was an educator, journalist, columnist and writer of main ...

— Turkish author and dramatist *

Şule Kut Şule Kut is the Rector of Okan University. Until 2010, she worked in Istanbul Bilgi University as a professor in International Relations, specifically on Turkish politics and the Balkans. She had been the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Admin ...

— Turkish international relations scholar *

Butch Morris Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings. ...

— American cornetist and composer *

Niyazi Öktem Niyazi Öktem (born 1944) is a Turkish academic. Born in Elazığ, he is a professor of Public Law, Philosophy of Law, and Sociology of Law in the Faculty of Law at Istanbul Bilgi University Istanbul Bilgi University () is a private universi ...

— Turkish law academic *

İlter Turan Adil İlter Turan is a Turkish academic. He is a professor of Political Science in the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University. He was Rector of the University from 1998 to 2001. He was the Program Chair of the 21st ...

—Former president of the

International Political Science Association The International Political Science Association (IPSA) is an international scholarly association, founded under the auspices of UNESCO in 1949. IPSA is devoted to the advancement of political science in all parts of the world. During its history ...

İlhan Usmanbaş İlhan Usmanbaş (23 October 1921 – 30 January 2025) was a Turkish contemporary classical composer who was trained and recognised internationally. He was of the "second generation" of Turkish composers, who integrated European techniques int ...

— Turkish contemporary classical composer *

Serap Yazıcı Serap Yazıcı (born 1963 in Ankara, Turkey) is a Turkish politician and academic of Constitutional Law. She was a member of a committee tasked with drafting a proposal for the new constitution of Turkey. She was elected to the Grand National Ass ...

— Turkish politician and academic of constitutional law *

Derviş Zaim Derviş Zaim (born Derviş Zaimağaoğlu in 1964) is a Turkish Cypriot filmmaker and novelist, who has twice won the Golden Orange for Best Director for '' Elephants and Grass'' (2000) and ''Dot (2008)''; Golden Oranges for Best Film and Best S ...

— Turkish-Cypriot filmmaker *

Rona Serozan Ahmet Rona Serozan (15 June 1942 – 6 November 2018) was a Turkish jurist, university professor of civil law, lawyer and writer. Early life Ahmet Rona Serozan was born to Sami and Maide Serozan in a wealthy family in Istanbul, Turkey on 15 June ...

— Turkish jurist and civil law scholar *

Betül Mardin Betül Mardin (born 1 December 1926) is a Turkish journalist who laid the foundations of public relations in Turkey. Early life and education Mardin was born on 1926 in Istanbul. She is the second child of the Mardin family, an Ottoman family ...

— Turkish publicist

Alumni

Refik Anadol Refik Anadol (born November 7, 1985) is a Turkish media artist and the co-founder of Refik Anadol Studio and Dataland. Recognized as a pioneer in the aesthetics of data visualization and AI arts, his work merges art, technology, science, and a ...

— Turkish-American new media artist *

Meriç Aral Meriç Aral (born 17 November 1988) is a Turkish actress. After studying law, she started acting and became known with her role as Hale in ''Medcezir''. She has taken part in various cinema and television productions. Life and career Aral was b ...

— Turkish actress *

Enis Arıkan Enis Arıkan (born 3 January 1983) is a Turkish actor, comedian and TV presenter. Born in Istanbul, Arıkan took acting lessons at Müjdat Gezen Art Center and later graduated with a degree in Stage and Performing Arts from Istanbul Bilgi Univer ...

— Turkish actor *

Simay Barlas Simay Barlas (born 7 May 1998) is a Turkish actress. She is most famous for her role as “Rüya” in the TV series Yabani (2023-2025). She won a Golden Butterfly Award for her role in the series. Barlas is a graduate of Istanbul Bilgi Universi ...

— Turkish actress *

Can Bonomo Can Bonomo (born 16 May 1987) is a Turkish singer who represented Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Early life Bonomo was born in İzmir, Turkey to a Sephardic Jewish family. At the age of 17, he began his offici ...

— Jewish-Turkish singer who represented Turkey in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song "Running Scared (Ell & Nikki song), Running Scared" by Ell & Nikki, El ...

Murat Boz Murat Boz (born 7 March 1980) is a Turkish people, Turkish singer, songwriter and actor. Boz began his solo career by releasing his first single, "Aşkı Bulamam Ben", in 2006. In the following year his first studio album titled ''Maximum (Mura ...

— Turkish singer and songwriter *

Kenan Doğulu Kenan Doğulu (; born 31 May 1974) is a Turkish pop musician. He represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, where he was placed fourth, with 163 points. In the summer of 2006, Doğulu released the album ''Festival (Kena ...

— Turkish singer and songwriter who represented Turkey in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2007 The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Helsinki, Finland, following the country's victory at the with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...

Ebru Günay Ebru Günay (born 1 January 1982, Bingöl, Turkey) is a Kurdish jurist and a politician of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). She was elected a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in 2018 and is currently the spokeswoman of the HDP ...

— Kurdish politician *

Hazal Kaya Leyla Hazal Kaya (born 1 October 1990) is a Turkish actress best known for her leading roles in Aşk-ı Memnu (2008–2010), Adını Feriha Koydum (2011–2012) and Bizim Hikaye (2017–2019). Kaya is one of Turkey's highest-paid actresses. ...

— Turkish actress *

Uraz Kaygılaroğlu Uraz Kaygılaroğlu (born 30 June 1987) is a Turkish actor, stand-up comedian and TV presenter. He is a graduate of Istanbul Bilgi University with a degree in commercials and advertising. Career TV series Kaygılaroğlu started his career in ...

— Turkish actor *

Halit Özgür Sarı Halit Özgür Sarı (born 4 October 1993) is a Turkish actor and model. He is most famous for his role as Yaman in the TV series Yabani (2023-present). He is also known for his role as Kadir Eren in the series Kardeslerim (2021). Early life Ha ...

— Turkish actor * Sıla — Turkish singer and songwriter *

Nimet Tanrıkulu Nimet Tanrıkulu is a Kurdish-Turkish human rights activist. A founding member of the Human Rights Association, as well as a member of the Saturday Mothers, Tanrıkulu was detained and tortured during the 1980 coup d'état, following which she ...

— Turkish human rights activist *

İrem Derici İrem Derici (born 21 March 1987) is a Turkish people, Turkish singer and songwriter. From the early 2010s she became famous in Turkey through her hit singles "Zorun Ne Sevgilim", "Kalbimin Tek Sahibine" and "Dantel". Life and career İrem Der ...

— Turkish singer and songwriter *

Pelin Çelik Pelin Çelik (born 23 May 1982) is a Turkish volleyball player. She is 172 cm and plays as setter for Azeri volleyball club Azerrail Baku. She studied at Istanbul Bilgi University. She played 275 times for the national team. She also play ...

— Turkish volleyball player *

Eda Ece Eda Ece Tuncer (née Uzunalioğlu; born 20 June 1990) is a Turkish actress best known for her portrayal of Yıldız Yılmaz in the Turkish drama series ''Yasak Elma'' for which she received Outstanding Turkish Actress of the Year Award at the M ...

— Turkish actress *

Tuba Ünsal Tuba Ünsal (born 7 December 1981) is a Turkish actress and model. Biography Tuba Ünsal was born in Denizli on 7 December 1981. Her paternal family, who are of Turkish origin, emigrated from Greece. Other part of her maternal family is Oghu ...

— Turkish actress and model *

Yalın Hüseyin Yalın (born 30 March 1980), better known by his surname Yalın, is a Turkish pop singer and songwriter. He achieved success with the song "" in 2004. Early life Hüseyin Yalın was born on 30 March 1980 in Nişantaşı, Istanbul, as ...

— Turkish singer and songwriter *

Furkan Andıç Furkan Andıç (born 4 April 1990) is a Turkish actor and model, known for ''Kaçak Gelinler'' (2014–2015), ''Bir Kurabiye Masalı'' (2012), ''Kolej Günlüğü'' (2011), ''Tatlı İntikam'' (2016), ''Meryem'' (2017) and ''Her Yerde Sen'' (2019 ...

— Turkish actor *

Hande Soral Hande Soral Demirci (born 22 February 1987) is a Turkish actress. Life and career Originally from İnegöl, she completed her primary, secondary, and postsecondary education there, graduating from the Department of Psychology at the Bilgi Unive ...

— Turkish actress *

Sümeyra Koç Sümeyra Koç (born 27 February 1987) is a Turkish actress. Early life Sümeyra Koç was born into a Bosniak family on 27 February 1987 in Istanbul. Her mother was from the Sandžak region of Serbia and her father was from Montenegro. After fi ...

— Turkish actress *

— Turkish actor * Gül Gölge — Turkish TV presenter *

Hakan Demirel İsmail Hakan Demirel (born 7 May 1986) is a Turkish former professional basketball player. He is 1.91 m tall and played the point guard position. Career He studied at Istanbul Bilgi University. He started his professional career with Tofaş in ...

— Turkish basketball player *

Sarp Levendoğlu Ali Sarp Levendoğlu (born 25 December 1981) is a Turkish actor and director. Levendoğlu started acting at the age of six. After studying at Saint-Benoît French High School, he studied visual communication design at Istanbul Bilgi University ...

— Turkish actor *

Aytekin Mindan Aytekin Mindan (born 31 March 1981) is a Turkish former swimmer, who specialized in freestyle events. He held a Turkish record of 1:50.40 in the 200 m freestyle, until it was matched by Kemal Arda Gurdal in 2012. He studied at Istanbul Bilgi Uni ...

— Turkish swimmer

References

External links

* {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1996 Beyoğlu Eyüp Şişli 1996 establishments in Turkey

History

Campuses

Libraries and museums

Memberships and international affiliations

Rankings and awards

Controversies

Notable people

Faculty

Alumni

See also

References

External links