| Istanbul Şehir University | |
| Native Name: | İstanbul Şehir Üniversitesi |
| Motto: | Research, Understand, and Share. |
| Established: | May 31, 2008 |
| Closed: | June 30, 2020 |
| Type: | Foundation university |
| Rector: | Prof. Dr. Peyami Çelikcan (called President) |
| President: | Prof. Dr. Ömer Dinçer (as the President of the Board of Trustees) |
| Students: | 7080 (as of the academic year 2019-2020): 5069 undergraduate students, 859 postgraduate students, 47 doctoral students, and 1105 vocational students |
| Undergrad: | 5069 |
| Postgrad: | 859 |
| Doctoral: | 47 |
| City: | Kartal and Üsküdar |
| State: | Istanbul |
| Country: | Turkey |
| Coordinates: | 41.0257°N 29.0455°W |
| Campus: | Altunizade Campus, (Üsküdar), and Dragos Campus (Kartal) |
| Language: | English and Turkish |
| Free Label: | Founder |
| Free: | Bilim ve Sanat Vakfı (Foundation for Science and Arts) |
| Faculty: | 504 |
| Administrative Staff: | 254 |
| Affiliations: | Bilim ve Sanat Vakfı (Foundation for Science and Arts) |
Istanbul Şehir University (Turkish: İstanbul Şehir Üniversitesi|lit=City University of Istanbul) was a private, non-profit university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established in 2008 by the Bilim ve Sanat Vakfı (BiSaV or BSV, English: Foundation for Science and Arts).[1] The university started its education in the academic year of 2010–11 at its campus in Altunizade, Üsküdar, following a ceremony held on October 5, 2010 that was attended by then State President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu.[2] The university was closed down on June 30, 2020, after it faced financial difficulties stemming from a legal land dispute, which in turn was fueled by a bitter political feud.[3]
The university had, as of (2016), six faculties, three graduate institutes, a vocational high school, four research centers, and a language school, organized as follows:
Istanbul Şehir University had three campuses, West Campus, East Campus, and South Campus, all of which were located in Altunizade, Üsküdar. Later, during the academic year 2017–18, Istanbul Şehir University moved to its main campus in Dragos, Kartal, where construction was long delayed due to environmental concerns.[15]
The Dragos campus had a number of facilities and amenities including an on-campus dorm, a library, a soccer field, a student center with numerous restaurants, and a large outdoor rec area.
In November 2019, the university faced financial trouble and was unable to pay the salaries of faculty members and the scholarships of students despite its revenue of millions of dollars. The reason was a freeze on its assets imposed by a court order, after a year-long trial, on request for an arrestment of funds by the state-owned Halkbank, which had concerns regarding the pay back of a US$70 million credit. A real estate, which belonged to the state-owned monopoly company Tekel, was transferred free of charge to the university as campus ground, and became subject of security for a credit from the Halkbank. The real estate lost its security status when the Council of State ruled at the last instance in favor of the Chamber of Architects branch of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) overturning the court's decision in the case. It was claimed by university representatives that the measure was of a political rather than technical nature due to the political fallout between Erdoğan and Ahmet Davutoğlu, the latter being a co-founder of the university.
By mid December 2019, the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) ruled for a temporary handover of Istanbul Şehir University to Marmara University, which was the "guarantor university" of the former. It was stated that the university was unable to continue its educational activities due to its financial situation. The operation license for education of the university was then suspended.
With the Presidential decree no. 2708 issued on June 30, 2020, the official authorization of Istanbul Şehir University was revoked. The Council of Higher Education (YÖK), after a general meeting on June 30, 2020, later announced that the students of Istanbul Şehir University were to be transferred to Marmara University.[16]