Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkish: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi), officially established in 1996, is a private university located in Istanbul, Turkey. The university has four campuses located in Istanbul: SantralIstanbul, Kuştepe, Dolapdere, and Kozyatağı.

Adopting the principle of Non scholae, sed vitae discimus (learning not for school but for life), Istanbul Bilgi University was founded as Turkey's fourth university in 1996. It’s precursor was Istanbul School of International Studies. In 2007, the Santral Istanbul Campus, the third campus of the university, opened at the site of Silahtarağa Power Plant, the first urban-scale power plant of the Ottoman Empire. In 2015, the Kozyatağı Campus was established on the Asian side of Istanbul.

In 2019, Can Holding joined Bilgi Education and Culture Foundation as a supporter. In 2020, a collaboration was made with Arizona State University for the purpose of internationalization and improving the quality of education and research. According to the 2020 data of the Turkey University Satisfaction Survey, Istanbul Bilgi University was among the A group universities.

Istanbul Bilgi University has associate, undergraduate, and graduate programs.

• santralistanbul

santralistanbul Campus is the largest of the four University campuses, The Main Gallery building in santralistanbul Campus, a space for contemporary art exhibitions and cultural events, was granted the International Architecture Awards in 2010.

Additionally, the santralistanbul Campus has an annex building offering more than 5,000 sq m space to around 3,000 students, that can be reached in four minutes from the main campus.

• Dolapdere Dolapdere Campus is located near Taksim, Istanbul. The campus received "Structure and Life Architecture Award” in 2002 and the “European Award for Steel Structure” in 2005. The campus hosts the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, a fitness center and a short-course swimming pool.

• Kuştepe Located in Şişli district in Istanbul, Kuştepe Campus is Istanbul Bilgi University's first campus.

Academic representatives from each department, elected by the students in the fall semester, are a part of the council. Student clubs social life. It has an official student LGBT organization, named Gokkusagi, glossed as 'rainbow', in 2007.

Istanbul Bilgi is accredited by the Turkish Higher Education Council (YÖK) and the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).

Istanbul Bilgi University has three libraries, one in Dolapdere Campus, one in Kuştepe Campus, and one in santralistanbul Campus. İstanbul Bilgi University's Library offers an extensive system to support university degree programs, research and teaching. santralistanbul Campus has the Energy Museum. Istanbul Bilgi University Press was founded in 2000.

The university has partner agreements in 40 countries within the scope of Erasmus +, Bilateral and Swiss Mobility programs. It is a member of the European University Association (EUA), The Magna Charta Observatory of Fundamental University Values and Rights, United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), OECD Higher Education Programme IMHE, and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Istanbul Bilgi University has ranked among the top 130 universities in the “Top Universities in Emerging Europe and Central Asia” 2020 list of the reputable higher education quality surveyor QS. According to the rankings, BİLGİ is among the top 4 foundation universities in Turkey. In 2024, Istanbul Bilgi University was recognized in the QS Sustainability Ranking, where it was ranked as the fourth-best foundation university in Turkey. This ranking evaluates universities' efforts in addressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Globally, Bilgi University was placed in the 1001-1050 range. Notably, it ranked third among Turkish foundation universities for 'environmental impact' and 'governance', and fourth in 'social impact'. Source

The 2019 results of “Turkey's University Satisfaction Survey (TÜMA)” ranked Istanbul Bilgi in the A group, (high satisfaction level). The university ranked among the top 400 universities in the field of political sciences according to Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2019 report conducted by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. Istanbul Bilgi ranked third on Bloomberg Businessweek's “Best Universities of Turkey 2018” survey.

Since its foundation, Istanbul Bilgi University has been administered by the Board of Trustees, which has 11 members. Dr. Çağrı Bağcıoğlu is president.

• Refik Anadol
• Can Bonomo
• Ebru Günay
• Hazal Kaya
• Meriç Aral
• Enis Arıkan
• Kenan Doğulu
• Murat Boz
• Sıla
• Simay Barlas
• Uraz Kaygılaroğlu
• Halit Özgür Sarı

The university According to the Turkish media outlet Cumhuriyet, Bilgi has been accused of having connections with the US Central Intelligence Agency. was part of an investigation into an alleged 2016 taking by a Bilgi University board member of $18 million in funds meant for a Turkish reforestation program was closed in 2018 by the US Department of Justice, having considered charges of corruption violations. In 2018, the US Department of Justice closed its inquiry into possible corruption violations.

• List of universities in Turkey

• Official website