Turkey revokes operating license of Istanbul Bilgi University amid criminal probe

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree revoking the operating license of Istanbul Bilgi University, the decree was published in the Official Gazette on Friday, and the closure is effective immediately. The decree cites a law allowing closure if "the expected level of education and training … is insufficient." The decision also said the license had been revoked because "the founding foundation has been placed under trusteeship."

Istanbul Bilgi University has an estimated 20,000 students from Turkey and abroad. The university was seized by the state in September 2025 as part of a criminal investigation into Can Holding. The investigation alleged that Can Holding's principals established a criminal organization and engaged in money laundering and tax evasion. Detention orders were issued for 10 people, including principals Mehmet Şakir Can, Kemal Can and Kenan Tekdağ.

As part of the operation, 121 Can Holding companies were seized and placed under the management of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF). Among the seized assets were television channels Habertürk and Show TV, Bloomberg HT, the Doğa school network, and Istanbul Bilgi University. Investigators said at the time they had discovered that "large amounts of money of unknown origin were entered via companies operating under Can Holding," which were transferred between companies to conceal the origin. Forged documents were also allegedly used to reduce tax liability, they said in a statement. Prosecutors added that some of Can Holding's activities were "directly financed with criminal revenues."

Turkey's Council of Higher Education promised to take "the necessary measures" to ensure students "suffer no harm." Turkish local broadcaster TRT Haber reported that students will continue their education at Mimar Sinan University, the guarantor state university. Under Turkish higher education regulations, students at a closed-foundation university are automatically transferred to a designated guarantor state institution. Bilgi University had previously told T24 that Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University had served in that role since 2021. If it cannot accommodate all students, the Council of Higher Education will designate a third university to absorb the remaining students. The fate of academic staff has not been addressed in any official statement.

The university was founded on 7 June 1996 as Turkey's fourth private foundation university. Can Holding acquired Bilgi University in 2019 for $90 million. The institution, known for its liberal values, participates in the EU's Erasmus exchange programme. Videos of dozens of students protesting at the university circulated online. Some held banners that said, "This is just the beginning, the struggle continues." Yamen Akdeniz, Bilgi professor of law, wrote on X that an "institution built with 30 years of effort was effectively shut down overnight."