Turkiye shutters liberal Istanbul university seized in criminal probe

Turkiye’s Council of Higher Education announced the closure of Istanbul Bilgi University after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revoked its operating license in a presidential decree published Friday. The decision, effective immediately, cites a law allowing closure if the university fails to meet expected educational standards. Bilgi University, founded in 1996 and known for its liberal values, operates under court-appointed administration since last year when its parent company, Can Holdings, was implicated in a money laundering and tax fraud investigation. The university’s 20,000 students, including international scholars, will continue education at Mimar Sinan University, according to local broadcaster TRT Haber. The Council of Higher Education pledged to ensure students suffer no academic harm, particularly ahead of June end-of-year exams. Protests erupted on campus, with students holding signs declaring resistance against the closure, while law professor Yamen Akdeniz condemned the shutdown on social media as an overnight dismantling of a 30-year institution. Bilgi University, ranked 1,401 globally by QS, participates in the Erasmus Mundus program and has long emphasized its motto: ‘learning not for school but for life.’ The closure follows a pattern of state intervention in private education under Erdogan’s administration, raising concerns about academic freedom. No official statement has been released by the university’s management regarding the shutdown or future operations.