Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University (KİÜ)

Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University (KİÜ) is a public university established on 18 May 2018. The university is located in the city of Kahramanmaraş, at the intersection of the Southeastern Anatolia Region and the Mediterranean Region.

Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University was established by Law No. 7141, published on 18 May 2018. It began operations by transferring certain academic units from Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University (KSÜ). In September 2021, it acquired a central campus with the allocation of the Karacasu Campus.

The university conducts its educational and teaching activities not only in the city center of Kahramanmaraş but also in various campuses located in district centers.

• Karacasu Campus (Main Campus): Houses the rectorate building, central classrooms, laboratories, the library, and social units.

• Elbistan Campus: Hosts the Elbistan Faculty of Engineering, Elbistan Vocational School, and Elbistan Vocational School of Health Services.

• Türkoğlu Campus: Home to Türkoğlu Vocational School.

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The university’s academic structure consists of seven faculties, four vocational schools, and one institute.

• Elbistan Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Communication
• Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Islamic Sciences
• Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Design
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Tourism

• Institute of Graduate Education

• Airbus-TUSAŞ Aviation Vocational School
• Elbistan Vocational School
• Elbistan Vocational School of Health Services
• Türkoğlu Vocational School

According to data from December 2023, the total number of students at the university is 3,372. Student admissions are conducted based on scores from the national university entrance examination (Higher Education Institutions Examination – YKS). Additionally, admission procedures are available for international students who meet specific criteria.

The university offers programs at both undergraduate and associate degree levels.

• Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Design: Software Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering.
• Faculty of Health Sciences: Nursing, Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Faculty of Human and Social Sciences: Psychology, English Translation and Interpreting, History, Turkish Language and Literature.
• Faculty of Communication: Digital Game Design, Visual Communication Design.
• Faculty of Tourism: Gastronomy and Culinary Arts.
• Faculty of Islamic Sciences: Islamic Sciences (Arabic-Oriented).

• Airbus-TUSAŞ Aviation Vocational School: Machinery, Metallurgy, Aircraft Technology.
• Elbistan Vocational School: Office Management and Executive Assistance, Electricity, Electronics Technology, Construction Technology, Laboratory and Veterinary Health, Machinery, Accounting and Tax Applications, Office Technologies and Data Management, Automotive Technology, Civil Defense and Firefighting.
• Elbistan Vocational School of Health Services: Pharmacy Services, Opticianry, Elderly Care.
• Türkoğlu Vocational School: Alternative Energy Resources Technology, Food Quality Control and Analysis, Food Technology, Chemical Technology, Logistics, Private Security and Protection, Civil Defense and Firefighting, Textile Technology.

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Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University continues its activities within the global academic network through international student admissions and exchange programs. Exchange programs include student mobility for study and internships, as well as staff mobility for teaching and training, under the Erasmus+ framework. These programs also provide opportunities for international credit mobility with countries outside Europe (KA171).^【1】

Academic work conducted at the university has gained recognition on international platforms. Associate Professor Hakan Açıkgöz from the Department of Software Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Design, has been included in the “Effective Scientists” list published by the international academic performance evaluation platform ScholarGPS. This evaluation is based on the researcher’s publications, citation counts, and impact levels over the past five years.

According to ScholarGPS data, Associate Professor Açıkgöz ranks 32nd globally for his work on Convolutional Neural Networks, placing him within the top 0.5% of researchers worldwide.^【2】

In addition, university academics have served in regional scientific events. Faculty members from Elbistan Vocational School acted as judges in the “Young Brains” science and innovation project competition, which was organized for 7th and 8th grade students, evaluating their projects.^【3】

At the Karacasu Campus, students have access to a library and social facilities. Centers such as the Career Development Application and Research Center (KAGEM) and the Continuous Education Application and Research Center (SEM) operate to support students’ academic and professional development. Additionally, Turkish language instruction is provided to international students through the Turkish Language Teaching Application and Research Center (TÖMER).