Aydın Adnan Menderes University (ADÜ)

Aydın Adnan Menderes University (ADU), is a public university located in the city of Aydın, Türkiye. The university was established by Law No. 3837 dated 3 July 1992 and is named after Adnan Menderes, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Türkiye. Located in the center of Aydın province and in various districts, the university continues its higher education and research activities.

At its establishment, the university began operations with faculties and schools transferred from existing higher education institutions. These transfers formed the university’s initial academic structure, including the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Science and Letters, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and Faculty of Agriculture.

In subsequent years, the university expanded its academic units by establishing new faculties, institutes, colleges, and vocational colleges. Since its founding, ADU has continued its physical development, constructing its main campus, the Aytepe Central Campus.

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Aydın Adnan Menderes University has a campus structure spread across the provincial center and various districts of Aydın.

• Aytepe Central Campus: The main campus located in the Efeler district. The rectorate building, numerous faculties, institutes, the library, and social facilities are situated on this campus.

• Other Important Campuses: Nazilli Sümer Campus, Söke Campus, Çine Süleyman Pekgüzel Campus, Didim Akbük Campus, and Karacasu Muzaffer Özuysal Campus.

• Faculty of Dentistry
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Nursing
• Faculty of Theology
• Faculty of Communication
• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Kuşadası Faculty of Maritime Studies
• Faculty of Engineering
• Nazilli Faculty of Fine Arts
• Nazilli Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Political Sciences
• Söke Faculty of Business
• Söke Faculty of Architecture and Design
• Faculty of Sport Sciences
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Tourism
• Faculty of Applied Sciences
• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
• Faculty of Agriculture

• Institute of Natural Sciences
• Institute of Health Sciences
• Institute of Social Sciences

• College of Foreign Languages

• Atça Vocational College
• Aydın Vocational College
• Aydın Health Services Vocational College
• Bozdoğan Vocational College
• Buharkent Vocational College
• Çine Vocational College
• Didim Vocational College
• Germencik Yamantürk Vocational College
• Karacasu Memnune İnci Vocational College
• Koçarlı Vocational College
• Köşk Vocational College
• Kuşadası Davutlar Vocational College
• Kuyucak Vocational College
• Nazilli Vocational College
• Nazilli Health Services Vocational College
• Söke Vocational College
• Söke Health Services Vocational College
• Sultanhisar Vocational College

The university admits students based on results from the centralized examinations conducted by the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM). The total number of students at Aydın Adnan Menderes University is 48,360, encompassing undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. ^【1】

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Undergraduate programs are offered by the university’s faculties and colleges. The Faculty of Education offers programs in Science Teaching, Primary Mathematics Teaching, Preschool Teaching, Special Education Teaching, Guidance and Psychological Counseling, Classroom Teaching, Social Studies Teaching, Turkish Language Teaching, and English Language Teaching.

The Faculty of Science includes departments of Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences offers programs in German Language and Literature, Archaeology, Philosophy, French Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, Psychology, Art History, Sociology, History, and Turkish Language and Literature.

Undergraduate programs in health sciences are offered by the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as by the Faculty of Health Sciences, which includes departments of Nutrition and Dietetics, Child Development, Midwifery, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, and by the Faculty of Nursing, which offers the Nursing program.

The Faculty of Engineering offers programs in Computer Engineering, Electrical-Electronics Engineering, Food Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, all taught in English. The Faculty of Agriculture includes programs in Horticultural Crops, Plant Protection, Biosystems Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Biotechnology, Field Crops, Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, and Animal Science.

In the field of economic and administrative sciences, programs such as Labor Economics, Econometrics, Economics and Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Political Science and Public Administration, International Relations, International Trade and Finance, and Management Information Systems are offered by the Faculty of Political Sciences, the Nazilli Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, and the Söke Faculty of Business.

Other undergraduate programs include Journalism, Visual Communication Design, Public Relations and Advertising, and Radio Television and Cinema at the Faculty of Communication; Travel Agency Management, Tourism Management, Tourism Guiding, and Food and Beverage Management at the Faculty of Tourism; Sports Management at the Faculty of Sport Sciences; and Theology at the Faculty of Theology.

Associate degree programs are delivered through vocational colleges located in the central campus and districts. In the health sector, programs offered by the Aydın, Nazilli and Söke Health Services Vocational Colleges include Operating Room Services, Anesthesiology, Environmental Health, Dialysis, Home Patient Care, Physiotherapy, First Aid and Emergency Care, Podology, Medical Documentation and Secretarial Services, Medical Imaging Techniques, Medical Laboratory Techniques, and Elderly Care.

Aydın Vocational College offers technical and social programs such as Printing and Publishing Technologies, Computer Programming, Office Management, Child Development, Construction Technology, Business Administration, Fashion Design, Accounting and Tax Applications, Automotive Technology, Marketing, and Artificial Intelligence Operator.

Vocational colleges located in districts with high agricultural and livestock potential, such as Sultanhisar, Koçarlı, Çine, and Atça, offer programs in Smart Greenhouse Technologies, Plant Protection, Digital Agriculture Technologies, Food Technology, Laboratory Technology, Organic Farming, Landscape and Ornamental Plants, Greenhouse Cultivation, Milk and Dairy Products Technology, and Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.

Vocational colleges in tourism areas, Kuşadası and Didim, offer programs in Culinary Arts, Catering Services, Tourism and Hotel Management, and Tourism and Travel Services. Other district vocational colleges provide sector-specific programs such as Alternative Energy Sources, Banking and Insurance, Foreign Trade, Electricity, Real Estate Management, Public Relations, Logistics, Machinery, Mechatronics, Architectural Restoration, and Land Registry and Cadastre.

• 2024 Academic Performance Evaluation: The 2024 Academic Performance Award process, conducted by the University Senate, was completed in October 2025 with the evaluation of academic staff members’ scholarly activities. ^【2】

• Disability-Free University Awards (2024): Under the 2024 Disability-Free Universities Awards organized by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the university’s Faculty of Medicine and the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Accessible Library were awarded the “Orange Flag” in the “Accessibility in Space” category. The award was granted due to compliance with TS 9111 standards and international accessibility criteria by the relevant units.^【3】

• TÜSF Medal Rankings and FISU Summer Universiade (2024–2025): According to data published by the Turkish University Sports Federation (TÜSF), the university completed the 2024–2025 season with a total of 58 medals—28 gold, 16 silver, and 14 bronze—becoming the third university in Türkiye with the most medals. Additionally, at the FISU 2025 World University Summer Games held in Germany, Özlem Becerek from the Faculty of Sport Sciences won gold in discus throw with a distance of 61.15 meters, Mehmet Çelik won bronze in the 800 meters, and Kubilay Encü won bronze in the 4x400 meters relay.^【4】

• BlueSky Awards Aviation Award (2024): The PUSAY Aviation Team within the university received an award in the “Firsts and Achievements in Aviation” category at the International Aviation Awards (BlueSky Awards) held in November 2024. The award was granted for the team’s project titled “UAV Supported Emergency Lighting System (For Rescue and Security).”^【5】

• TÜBA and TÜBİTAK Science Awards (2022): At the 2022 TÜBA and TÜBİTAK Science Awards ceremony held under the auspices of the Presidency, Prof. Dr. Özge Çevik of the Department of Medical Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine was honored. The award was given in recognition of her internationally acclaimed research in biochemistry and pharmacology on cancer drug mechanisms, innovative drug delivery systems, and biomarkers.^【6】

• THE Impact Rankings (2025): In the Times Higher Education (THE) “Impact Rankings 2025,” which measures universities’ contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the university ranked between 401–600 globally and 14–18 nationally. Among the subcategories, it was ranked 35th globally in “Quality Education,” 201–300 in “Good Health and Well-being,” and 101–200 in “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.”^【7】

• Webometrics World University Ranking (2025): In the Webometrics 2025 ranking, which analyzes the digital visibility and academic impact of higher education institutions, the university ranked 2,034th globally and 54th nationally. The ranking is determined based on criteria such as citation impact of scientific publications and open access policies.^【8】

In line with its internationalization goals, the university participates in various international exchange programs. The primary programs supporting student and academic staff mobility are Erasmus+ and Mevlana Exchange Program. Through these programs, students and staff gain exposure to different cultures, enhance their foreign language skills, and strengthen their academic knowledge at an international level.