Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has revoked the operating license of Istanbul Bilgi University, a top private institution known for its liberal values, effectively shutting it down in the middle of the academic year. The decree, published in the Official Gazette on Friday, takes effect immediately and affects an estimated 20,000 students.

The decree cites a law allowing closure if “the expected level of education and training … is insufficient.” The university's management has not issued a statement.

Last year, the school was seized by the state after its parent company, Can Holdings, was implicated in a money laundering and tax fraud investigation. Since then, the university has been run by a court-appointed administrator.

Turkey’s Council of Higher Education promised to take “necessary measures” to ensure students “suffer no harm.” According to state broadcaster TRT Haber, students will continue their education at Mimar Sinan University, a state institution.

Videos of student protests circulated online, with banners reading “This is just the beginning, the struggle continues.” Law professor Yamen Akdeniz wrote on X that “an institution built with 30 years of effort was effectively shut down overnight.”

Founded in 1996, Bilgi University is known for its liberal ethos and motto “learning not for school but for life.” It ranks 1,401st globally in the QS World University Rankings and participates in the Erasmus Mundus program.

Source: www.aljazeera.com