Short answer: Yes, Istanbul Bilgi University has been reported as closed by a presidential decree, with official confirmation appearing in the May 2026 Official Gazette.
Context and key points
- The closure stems from a larger ongoing investigation into Can Holding and related entities. The Turkish authorities placed the founder foundation under trusteeship and eventually canceled the university’s activity license under the relevant provisions of the Higher Education Law. This sequence culminated in a formal closure announcement in the Official Gazette in May 2026.[2][3][4][9]
- Multiple outlets reported the same development, citing the presidential decree and the Public Gazette publication dated around May 21–22, 2026. These sources describe the rationale as tied to the foundation’s governance and the regulatory actions taken by YÖK and the TMSF prior to the final license cancellation.[3][4][5][9]
- Some outlets characterized the event as a high-impact decision affecting a major private university in Istanbul, noting that the license cancellation ends the university’s educational activities under the 2547 Higher Education Law’s ek 11. This framing is common across several Turkish-language reports published in late May 2026.[4][7][3]
What this means for students and staff
- Students enrolled at the time of closure would typically be offered options for transferring to other accredited institutions, program-by-program, or for degree completion under transitional arrangements, in line with government guidance and the university’s regulatory status. Exact procedures would be provided by the authorities and successor institutions, depending on ongoing regulatory decisions. These details appear in the official notices and subsequent guidance cited by the reporting outlets.[9][3]
- Faculty and staff would be subject to standard processes for closed institutions, including potential severance or re-employment pathways through the state’s regulatory and labor processes, with additional details likely published by the official authorities and the TMSF/Can Holding follow-ups.[4][9]
Caveats
- News around high-profile institutional closures can circulate quickly with varying framing. The most authoritative source is the official Gazete announcement and the presidential decree referenced by the outlets. If you need, I can fetch the exact Official Gazette citation and summarize the formal language for you. For now, the consensus across multiple reports is that the university’s activities were terminated by presidential decision in May 2026.[2][3][9]
Would you like me to pull the exact Official Gazette text and provide a precise summary with dates and article numbers? I can also map potential next steps for current students and staff based on typical regulatory procedures.cite
Sources
Istanbul Bilgi University, owned by Can Holding, which was seized and placed under trusteeship by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) within the scope of an investigation launched in September 2025, has been closed by a presidential decree.
en.haberler.comCan Holding'e yönelik başlatılan soruşturma kapsamında kurucu vakfına kayyum atanan İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi'nin faaliyet izni iptal edildi.
www.bbc.comSon dakika: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Cumhurbaşkanı kararıyla kapatıldı mı? 22 Mayıs 2026 Resmi Gazete 11384 sayılı karar metni! Bilgi Üniversitesi neden kapatıldı, öğrencilere ne olacak?
www.turkgun.comİstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi hakkında sosyal medyada ortaya atılan “Cumhurbaşkanlığı kararıyla kapatıldı” gelişmesi kısa sürede gündem oldu. Bilgi Üniversitesi kapatıldı mı, İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi neden kapatıldı?
www.haberler.comResmi Gazete'de yayımlanan karara göre, kurucu vakfına kayyım atanan İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi'nin faaliyet izni kaldırıldı.
www.timeturk.comBilgi Üniversitesi kapatıldı mı? İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi neden kapatıldı? Bu ve benzeri sorular vatandaşlar tarafından merak edildi. İlgili içeriği haberimizde derledik.
www.gazeteilksayfa.comTürkiye nin dördüncü vakıf üniversitesi olarak kurulan İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi, Resmi Gazete de yayımlanan Cumhurbaşkanı kararıyla kapatıldı. Can Holding bünyesinde yer alan ve 2025 yılının Eylül ayından bu yana kayyım tarafından yönetilen kurumun faaliyet izni resmen kaldırıldı.
www.turktime.comİstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi, Cumhurbaşkanı Tayyip Erdoğan'ın Resmi Gazete'de yayımlanan kararıyla kapatıldı. Kararda, kurucu vakfına kayyım atanan Bilgi üniversitesi için faaliyet izninin 2547 sayılı Yükseköğretim Kanununun ek 11 inci maddesi gereğince kaldırıldığı yazıldı.Bu karar, 2025 yılının Eyl…
www.el-balad.comYükseköğretim dünyasında deprem etkisi yaratan karar, 22 Mayıs 2026 tarihli Resmi Gazete’de Cumhurbaşkanı Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’ın imzasıyla yayımlandı. Karara
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