Ibn Khaldun University

Ibn Haldun University (IHU) is a foundation university established in Istanbul in 2015 by the Türkiye Youth and Education Services Foundation (TÜRGEV) and began its educational activities in the 2017–2018 academic year. Foundation University aims to distinguish itself in Türkiye and globally as a “research university” through an educational model specialized in the social sciences. Within the principle of intellectual independence, it seeks to foster students’ capacity to develop original thought and to become individuals capable of competing at the international level.

Ibn Haldun University, with an international academic staff, provides education through 384 faculty members as of September 2025. The university comprises six faculties and twelve undergraduate departments:

• Faculty of Education
• • Guidance and Psychological Counseling Department
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Communication
• • New Media and Communication Department
• Faculty of Islamic Sciences
• Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
• • Philosophy
  • Comparative Literature
  • Psychology
  • Political Science and International Relations
  • Sociology
  • History
• Faculty of Management Sciences
• • Economics
  • Business Administration

The Graduate School of Education offers twelve doctoral and twenty-two master’s programs. The Institute of Civilizations Alliance offers one doctoral and one master’s program. In total, eighteen undergraduate and graduate programs hold international accreditation from FIBAA.

Ibn Haldun University supports its academic work through fifteen research and application centers. These include centers focused on areas such as Conflict Analysis and Peace Studies, Ethics Studies, Islamic Economics and Finance, Psychotherapy, and International Law and Human Rights.

Ibn Haldun University provides an international learning environment. As of September 2025, the university hosts 1,246 Turkish students and 665 international students from 77 countries. The goal is for 75 percent of students to be enrolled in graduate programs. The languages of instruction are Turkish, Arabic and English, with elective courses offered in German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Malay.

The university’s educational activities are carried out across three campuses:

• Süleymaniye Campus: Composed of the medreses of the Süleymaniye Külliyesi.
• Bakırköy Taş Mektep Campus
• Ibn Haldun University Başakşehir Külliyesi: This modern campus, inspired by Ottoman medrese architecture, was opened for service in October 2020.

^{Main Entrance of Ibn Haldun University Başakşehir Külliyesi} (Ibn Haldun University Official Website)

For the past two centuries, concepts such as modernization, progress, and Westernization have been imposed on non-Western societies, weakening their intellectual independence and rendering them dependent on the West. Educational systems have become instruments reinforcing this dependency. Ibn Haldun University was established to break this cycle and reconstruct intellectual independence through an educational model that promotes original knowledge production in the social sciences.

^{Süleymaniye Campus} (Ibn Haldun University Official Website)

Ibn Haldun University has built its social sciences education upon the following core values:

1. Comparative Education: IHU does not limit itself to Western ideas and theories but critically presents to students the scientific, cultural and artistic legacies of diverse civilizations. This approach, which examines Freud alongside Ghazali and Marx alongside Ibn Khaldun, supports the emergence of original thought.
2. Traditional Innovation: The university has developed an understanding that embraces modern innovation without rejecting tradition. This approach avoids mere imitation in the name of innovation and aims to reconstruct the civilizational heritage in accordance with contemporary needs while preserving the dynamic nature of tradition.
3. Fütüvvet: Fütüvvet, an ethos grounded in moral values such as courage, generosity and heroism, encourages students to demonstrate ethical conduct and contribute to society as virtuous individuals.
4. Open Civilization: The concept of open civilization expresses an approach that recognizes the right to existence and life of other civilizations and defends universal human rights. This vision, rooted in the Islamic civilization’s experience of multi-civilizational coexistence, embraces an understanding capable of generating solutions to global challenges.
5. Global Competition: The university aims to cultivate individuals capable of competing at the international level. This approach, which fosters global literacy, enables students to develop a global perspective.
6. Preparation for the Future: IHU applies modern educational models to cultivate individuals capable of adapting to a rapidly changing world. This understanding, which promotes analytical thinking, seeks to produce generations capable of addressing future societal needs.
7. Multilingual Education: The university ensures that students attain proficiency in at least three languages. In addition to Turkish, English and Arabic, it offers educational opportunities in German, Japanese and Persian.

^{Fütüvvet Star: Ibn Haldun University Başakşehir Külliyesi} (Ibn Haldun University Official Website)