Turkish President Reverses Order to Close Istanbul Bilgi University

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reversed an order to close Istanbul Bilgi University, according to a decree published in the official gazette on Sunday. Hundreds of students and lecturers had demonstrated earlier that day outside the university's main campus in Istanbul, which had been closed since Friday. The protests demanded that the institution reopen.

The president had issued the closure order on Friday in the middle of the academic year. is insufficient," a charge rejected by students and staff. The closure came eight months after the university's owner, Can Holding, was seized by the state during a criminal investigation into alleged fraud and money laundering.

The Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office began the probe in September 2025.

Investigators alleged that Can Holding principals had formed a criminal organization and engaged in money laundering and tax evasion. Detention orders were issued for 10 people, and 121 companies were placed under the management of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund.

Among the seized assets were television channels Habertürk and Show TV, the financial news channel Bloomberg HT, the Doğa school network, and Istanbul Bilgi University. Prosecutors stated that large sums of unknown origin had been transferred between companies to conceal their source.

Can Holding acquired the university in 2019 for $90 million. Founded in 1996, Bilgi participates in the EU's Erasmus exchange programme and enrolls more than 20,000 students from Turkey and abroad.