

İbn Haldun University (İbn Haldun Üniversitesi, abbreviated IHU) is a private, non-profit foundation university located in the Başakşehir district on the western side of Istanbul, Turkey. It was founded in 2015 and admitted its first cohort of students during the 2017–2018 academic year. The institution was established by the Turkish Youth and Education Service Foundation and takes its name from Ibn Khaldun, the fourteenth-century historian and social thinker often regarded as a pioneer of the study of society. The university uses the motto "Fikri Bağımsızlık," usually rendered in English as "Intellectual Independence."
IHU concentrates on the humanities and social sciences and follows a multilingual model of instruction delivered in Turkish, English, and Arabic. Its academic structure is organized into several schools, including Law, Business, Education, Islamic Studies, Communication, and Humanities and Social Sciences, alongside graduate institutes such as the Alliance of Civilizations Institute. Its departments span history, sociology, economics, psychology, philosophy, comparative literature, and political science and international relations, reflecting an emphasis on interdisciplinary study across cultures and civilizations.
The university operates across multiple sites in Istanbul, with its main campus in Başakşehir opening in the autumn of 2020 and additional locations in the Süleymaniye and Bakırköy areas. Its founding rector was Recep Şentürk, who was succeeded by Atilla Arkan in 2021. Over the years its faculty has included internationally recognized scholars in history and the social sciences. IHU is affiliated with Turkey's Council of Higher Education and takes part in international frameworks such as the Bologna Process and the Erasmus Programme, and it has pursued external quality accreditation.
Acceptance rate is an EduRank estimate — modelled from comparable institutions for universities that do not publish an official figure (2026). Verify with the university before applying.
Key Facts University Type: Private / Foundation (Non-profit) Established: 2015 Location: Başakşehir, Istanbul, Turkey International Students: ~40% Specialisation: Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, Business, Communication, Islamic Studies Campuses: Main campus …
İbn Haldun University is located in Istanbul, Turkey.
İbn Haldun University is located in Istanbul, Turkey.
You can visit the official website at https://www.ihu.edu.tr/tr.