Turkey Closes Istanbul Bilgi University After Criminal Probe

Turkey revoked Istanbul Bilgi University's operational license on May 22, 2026, via decree signed by President Tayyip Erdogan, forcing immediate closure of the institution serving more than 20,000 students. The university was seized by the state in a criminal investigation in 2025 after its owner Can Holding faced money laundering and organized crime charges. The closure cites insufficient education standards, though the university was established in 1996 and known for liberal politics.

University closure decree

• ▪The edict closing Istanbul Bilgi University cites a law allowing for the closure of a private institution if "the expected level of education and training… is insufficient"
• ▪Turkey revoked the operational licence for Istanbul Bilgi University, effectively forcing Istanbul Bilgi University to close, according to a decision published in the Official Gazette on May 22, 2026
• ▪The closure of Istanbul Bilgi University was effective immediately
• ▪President Tayyip Erdogan signed off on the decree to revoke the licence of Istanbul Bilgi University

Criminal investigation background

• ▪Istanbul Bilgi University was seized by the state in a criminal investigation in 2025
• ▪A trustee was appointed to run Istanbul Bilgi University following the 2025 seizure
• ▪Can Holding bought Istanbul Bilgi University in 2019
• ▪Can Holding's companies were seized by the state as part of a money laundering, tax evasion and organised crime investigation in 2025

Student transfer arrangements

• ▪Turkish media said students will continue their studies at the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, Istanbul Bilgi University's guarantor school
• ▪Istanbul Bilgi University has more than 20,000 students from both Turkey and abroad
• ▪Turkey's Council of Higher Education (YOK) did not say whether the students would be taken in by other institutions in the coming weeks
• ▪Turkey's Council of Higher Education (YOK) promised to take "the necessary measures" to ensure the students at Istanbul Bilgi University, who were due to sit end-of-year exams in June 2026, "suffer no harm"

Bilgi University profile

• ▪Istanbul Bilgi University was established in 1996
• ▪Istanbul Bilgi University takes part in the European Union's Erasmus exchange programme
• ▪Istanbul Bilgi University is known for its liberal politics

Constitutional legality concerns

• ▪Yaman Akdeniz stated that the constitution is clear that universities are established by law and their closure can only occur by law as well
• ▪Yaman Akdeniz, a Bilgi professor of law, wrote on X that an institution built with 30 years of effort was effectively shut down overnight

Perspective of Yaman Akdeniz (Bilgi law professor) and academic freedom advocates

• ▪Yaman Akdeniz stated that the constitution is clear that universities are established by law and their closure can only occur by law as well