Erdogan Frightened By Student Protests

Dozens of students occupied the university building.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rescinded a decree to close Istanbul's private Bilgi University after days of student protests. The order to close the university was signed on May 21, while the decree canceling the order was signed on Sunday, May 24. The document was published in the official government gazette Resmi Gazette, writes German Wave.

Officially, the termination of the university, considered liberal, was justified by Article 11 of the country's higher education law, which regulates the inter-university council. Media outlets, however, point out that this law also provides for the closure of a private university if "the level of education and training <....> is insufficient." The students were planned to be transferred to the state-run Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. In addition, the presidential decree noted that the foundation fund of Bilgi was placed under external management.

The decision to terminate the university a month before the final exams was obtained after three days of mass protests by students and some teachers. In particular, on May 24, about a thousand people took part in rallies on the university campus. Dozens of students occupied the university building, they were taken out by the police.

The decision to close Bilgi University was taken as part of an ongoing investigation into fraud and tax evasion against a large Istanbul-based Can Holding since September 2025, points out the Turkish service of the British corporation BBC. The group, which brings together more than 120 companies, including major TV channels, has sponsored the university since 2019. Now the companies included in Can Holding are under the control of the state.

It is noted that at the moment more than 20 thousand students study in Bilgi, founded in 1996. The university has eight faculties that offer more than 150 educational programs. Bilgi also participates in Erasmus - a student exchange program of the European Union.

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