Year of foundation: 1984
Approx. number of students: 13,000
MCI partner since: 2018
The City
Ankara, the capital of Turkey, lies in the heart of Anatolia at an altitude of 850 meters. Known in ancient times as Ankyra (meaning "anchor") or Ancyra , it was an important cultural, trading and arts center in the Roman period, and a trading hub on the caravan route to the east in the Ottoman era. Today, Ankara is a modern city with a population of over 5 million. Ankara is a venue for opera, ballet, jazz and modern dance as well as home to the Turkish Parliament, government ministries, foreign embassies and nine universities.
The University
Bilkent University - the first private, nonprofit university in Turkey - was founded on October 20, 1984, by Professor İhsan Doğramacı, M.D., with the fundamental aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research. The name "Bilkent" exemplifies this aim, since it is an acronym of "bilim kenti": Turkish for "city of learning and science." The University campus is located about 12 km west of the center of Ankara. The Faculty of Business Administration of Bilkent University was the first business school in Turkey to be accredited by AACSB. 