Türkiye's President Erdogan shuts down Istanbul Bilgi University amid fraud investigation

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a decree revoking Istanbul Bilgi University's operating license, effectively closing the institution overnight, after the conglomerate it belongs to was placed under trusteeship.

The decree was published on 22/05/2026, eight months after the university was first placed under state trusteeship following a criminal investigation into its owner, Can Holding.

The holding, operating in a variety of sectors including media and education, had its assets seized by the Turkish Savings Deposit Insurance Fund and a trustee appointed in September 2025 over allegations including establishing a criminal organisation, smuggling, fraud and money laundering.

However, suspicions are arising that the closure of the university could also be due to its liberal tendencies (the university was home to the first student LGBT association in Turkey, Gokkusagi, founded in 2007) and international inclination. The teaching is mainly in English, the institution was an active participant in Erasmus+ and is a full member of the European University Association (EUA)…