President of the Council of Higher Education Özvar: “Our President Did Not Allow Any Hardship to Arise”

May 25, 2026

A Presidential Decision has been issued allowing Istanbul Bilgi University to continue its educational activities within its current institutional structure.

Pursuant to the Presidential Decision published in the Official Gazette dated 25 May 2026 and numbered 33264, the Presidential Decree No. 11384 dated 21 May 2026 concerning the revocation of Istanbul Bilgi University’s operating license has been repealed, upon the written submission of the Council of Higher Education and in accordance with Additional Article 11 of the Higher Education Law No. 2547.

The Report of the Board of Trustees and the Evaluation of the Council of Higher Education Were Submitted to the President

Following the appointment of trustees to the founding foundation of Istanbul Bilgi University, developments regarding the university’s financial, administrative, and institutional structure were closely monitored, and comprehensive evaluations were carried out by the Council of Higher Education.

In this context, after the initial decision, the Board of Trustees prepared an updated assessment of the university’s current financial and administrative structure. The report, compiled together with the Council of Higher Education’s examinations and evaluations, was submitted to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In line with the President’s strong sensitivity to the expectations of young people and their families, and in consideration of public interest, the stability of the higher education system, and the need to ensure that no student experiences hardship, it was decided to reassess the process and allow the university to continue its educational activities without interruption.

The Presidency stated that, considering the university’s financial structure had been placed under protection, full compliance with all legislation—particularly Law No. 2547—had been ensured, and that the university currently serves 22,000 students, employs 1,100 academic and administrative staff, as well as 1,000 part-time academic personnel, interns, and student workers, the decision to revoke Istanbul Bilgi University’s operating license was rescinded in view of overriding public interest and public benefit.

“Our President Did Not Allow Any Hardship to Arise”

President of the Council of Higher Education Erol Özvar made the following remarks in his assessment of the matter:

“The initial process was a legal procedure that had to be carried out within the framework of the legislation in force. However, in light of the submitted reports and updated assessments, our President did not allow any hardship to be experienced by our students and, as always, carefully considered the expectations of our students, families, and university staff.”