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Istanbul Bilgi University, one of Türkiye’s oldest private foundation universities, has had its operating license revoked by presidential decree, triggering uncertainty for more than 20,000 students.
The closure has raised questions over the future of academic programs, campuses and graduation procedures.
The decision, published Friday in the Official Gazette and signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, formally ended an institution that had spent the past eight months under trusteeship following a criminal investigation into its owner, Can Holding.
Following the decision, attention shifted to how education and graduation processes would continue for Bilgi University students.
According to information obtained, authorities are expected to implement a model similar to the one used after the closure of Istanbul Sehir University, where students completed their studies through a designated guarantor institution.
The Higher Education Council (YOK) said it had already taken measures to prevent “victimization” and ensure educational continuity.
The council also stressed that students, academics and administrative staff would not be allowed to face hardship during the transition.
Under current regulations, Bilgi University diplomas will continue to be issued until student numbers fall below 10% of capacity.
After that threshold is reached, a “host university” model would be activated and diplomas issued through a designated institution.
Students’ tuition fees will continue under the existing framework, with adjustments based on inflation. Scholarship rights will remain legally protected, according to YOK sources.
Uncertainty persists over programs such as law, engineering, business administration, psychology and communications, which do not have direct equivalents at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, previously named as a guarantor institution in reports.
YOK is reportedly evaluating a multi-stage transition process aimed at protecting acquired rights.
According to BBC Turkish, students said the decision came during exam week, disrupting schedules and creating widespread confusion.
Students gathered Friday afternoon at Bilgi University’s Santral campus to protest.
Some faculty members reportedly canceled classes and exams, while others continued academic activities.
Second-year psychology student Hafize Cetin told BBC Turkish that official explanations had been insufficient.
“Everyone is literally losing their minds with questions like, ‘What will happen to our campus? Where will we go? What will happen to departments without equivalency?’” she said.
Cetin, who is also studying law through a double-major program, said transferring institutions could create major curriculum and language problems.
“I could end up in a situation where I have to start from scratch,” she said.
A final-year architecture student speaking anonymously described the closure as the erasure of the university’s identity.
“The identity of our school, where we trusted the academic staff and built beautiful memories, is effectively being erased,” the student said.
The student also raised concerns about housing and legal uncertainty.
“Do I even have a university right now? Am I still registered as a student in the state system?” the student asked.
Faculty members also described the decision as unexpected.
Dr. Guventurk Gorgulu from the Faculty of Communication, who has taught at Bilgi since 2007, said preparations had been underway for the university’s 30th anniversary when the decision arrived.
“We have not fully understood the reason behind this decision,” Gorgulu told BBC Turkish.
“We are not experiencing any deficiencies in education. There had been no prior warning from YOK.”
He said faculty members had been unable to answer students’ questions because administrators had provided no clear instructions.
Legal scholar Yaman Akdeniz, who taught at Bilgi University for 17 years, criticized both the timing and process.
“An institution built over 30 years of effort was effectively shut down overnight,” he said.
“This is wrong both legally and morally.”
Akdeniz argued that if such a move was planned, it should not have been implemented at the end of the academic year.
“There are thousands of students and hundreds of employees inside,” he said.
“There is a process being carried out in a non-transparent and highly arbitrary manner.”
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Founded on June 7, 1996, Istanbul Bilgi University was Türkiye’s fourth private foundation university.
The university joined Laureate International Universities in 2006 before being sold in 2019 for $90 million to Can Holding through businessman Kemal Can.
Can Holding later expanded into media through acquisitions, including Haberturk, Show TV and Bloomberg HT.
The group came under investigation in September 2025 after prosecutors launched a probe into allegations including establishing a criminal organization, smuggling, fraud and money laundering.
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