Istanbul Bilgi University
Higher EducationIstanbul, Turkey1001-5000 Employees
Istanbul Bilgi University, founded in 1996 under the motto "Learning not for school but for life", is a higher education institution based in Istanbul, Turkey. It comprises eight faculties, a professional school, three institutes, and two vocational schools, offering more than 150 programs to a student body of nearly 20,000 and supported by about 1,500 academic staff. The university serves a broad alumni network of around 70,000 and operates campuses in central Istanbul that host a wide range of academic and cultural events. The institution positions itself as a city university with an international orientation, delivering programs in English and maintaining extensive exchange partnerships across Europe. It participates in major international associations such as EUA, IAU, EUA-CDE, and OECD/IMHE, and has undergone corporate changes in recent years, including Can Holding’s acquisition of the university in 2019 and in 2026 Canholding’s reported acquisition of the BİLGİ Department of Film Oktay Çubuk.