ANKARA, May 22 (Reuters) – 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; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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