Bilkent University


Bilkent University is a private university located in Ankara, Turkey. It was founded by Prof. İhsan Doğramacı in 1984, with the aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research. It was the first non-profit private university established in the country. The name Bilkent is an abbreviation of bilim kenti: Turkish for "city of science". It is constantly ranked among the top Turkish universities since its establishment. In 2011, it was listed as the top 112th university in the world by The World University Rankings. In 2020, it ranked at 501.

History

Preparations for the establishment of the university began in 1967, with the purchase of a tract of land to the west of Ankara. In the late 1970s the foundations of the buildings which now house administrative offices, the faculty of engineering, and the library, were laid. Construction of residences for academic staff, cafeterias, student dormitories, and various academic buildings followed rapidly.

Campus

The university occupies three campuses. They are located about 12 km west of the center of Ankara, and cover a total area of more than 300 hectares.

Library

The university library houses a large collection of books with annual acquisitions valued at over 3 million U.S. dollars. As of 2017, Bilkent University Library is the largest university library of Turkey, and it is the only university library to rank in the top 10 libraries in the country.
In addition to books, the collection includes periodical subscriptions, microforms, CD-ROM, access to numerous online databases and electronic journals, DVD, VHS and audio cassettes. Sheet music and sound recordings are available in the music rooms. The library also hosts a number of private collections and an exhibition hall.

Academics

The university offers 33 undergraduate majors, together with 32 graduate programs spanning 22 different fields.

Faculties

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings consistently ranks Bilkent University as one of the top universities in Turkey.
YearTurkeyIn AsiaIn the World
2010-111st14th112th
2011-121st21st201-225th
2012-132nd27th226-250th
2013-144th31st226-250th
2014-155th25th201-225th
2015-163rd45th351-400th
2016-173rd46th351-400th
2017-183rd54th401-500th
2018-193rd82nd501-600th
2019-203rdn/a501-600th

Bilkent, as a university with less than 50 years of history, is also ranked as one of the most prestigious younger universities in the world:
YearTurkeyIn the world
20121st32nd
20132nd39th
20141st31st
20152nd28th
20163rd76th

THE powered by Thomson Reuters ranked Bilkent in the category BRICS & Emerging Economies as follows:
YearTurkeyIn the world
20144th12th
20155th19th
20163rd41st

Bilkent University is particularly noted for the quality of its Faculty of Engineering. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings rank Bilkent among the top 100 universities for Engineering and Technology, which makes it the only university in Turkey to make it to the top 100 in a subject list, as follows:
The Faculty of Business Administration of Bilkent University was the first business school in Turkey to be accredited by AACSB; less than 5% of the business schools around the world have received this accreditation. The business school has been ranked by Eduniversal among the best business schools of the Eurasia region for international influence.
According to the QS - Top Universities Rankings of 2012 and 2013 the university lies on 151-200th rank in terms of "Economics & Econometrics".

Student life

Sports

Students can participate in many sports courses and be trained by university staff, mostly for free. The university presents many individuals and teams in different sports in varsity competitions. The most well-known sport teams of the university are the Bilkent Goats and the Bilkent Judges, the ultimate team and the football team, respectively.

Student unions and clubs

The board and the departmental members of the Bilkent Student Union are chosen annually among all registered university students. The Student Union is the main sponsor and the organizer of Mayfest, the traditional Bilkent University summer festival. Various student clubs organize regular activities every day in the campus, mostly open to everyone. All students are allowed to join, or participate in the events and activities of any club they wish to.

Recreation

Bilkent University is host to numerous events regarding music and the performing arts. The university also sponsors frequent lectures, art exhibitions, and literary evenings throughout the academic year. During the first week of may, each year Mayfest is held. Mayfest is a well-known festival among the youth of Ankara, consisting of a large number of activities, as well as open-air concerts where renowned Turkish pop and rock bands and singers take the stage every night throughout the week.

Noted people

Faculty

Centers