Ankara University () is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the Turkish republic in 1923.

History

Ankara University was established by

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

, the first president of Turkey, and is one of the country’s leading educational institutions. The university's history dates back to the founding of the Faculty of Political Science in 1859, which was originally established in Istanbul as an institution to educate the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

's bureaucracy. The faculty underwent various transformations over time. Initially known as ''Mekteb-i Mülkiye-i Şahane'' under the Turkish Ministry of the Interior, it was later renamed ''Mekteb-i Mülkiye'' in 1918 under the Turkish Ministry of Education. Following the founding of the Republic, Atatürk requested that the school be relocated to

, and it was subsequently renamed the School of Political Science. On March 23, 1950, it became the Faculty of Political Science, part of Ankara University. The faculty offers programs in Public Administration, Labor Economics, Business Administration, and International Relations. The university expanded over the years to include other faculties. The Ankara University Law School was founded in 1925, while the School of Language and History – Geography was established in 1935. In 1943, the Faculty of Science was founded, followed by the

Faculty of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

in 1945. The Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, which traces its origins to 1842, and the School of Divinity, founded in 1949, were also part of the university’s early developments. The School of Pharmacy was established in 1960, followed by the Ankara University Faculty of Dentistry in 1963, which became a full faculty in 1977. The Faculty of Educational Sciences was founded in 1965, along with the Faculty of Communication, also known as ''İLEF''. In 1996, the Çankırı Faculty of Forestry and the Health Education Faculty were opened. More recently, the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Applied Sciences were established in 2015, and the Faculty of Open and Distance Education was founded in 2020. The university has 40

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...

programs, 120

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

programs and 110 graduate programs.

Research

Ankara University hosts a variety of research, application, and education centers that support its academic and scientific mission. As of the latest data, the university operates 41 such centers, each dedicated to specialized research and public service.One of the notable centers is the Turkish and Foreign Languages Research and Application Center, known as '' TÖMER'', which was established in 1984. By 2014, ''TÖMER'' had expanded to include 11 branches across Turkey, with its central office located in Ankara. The center provides language instruction in a broad range of languages, including Turkish, English,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, French,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the language sometimes referred to ...

, Dutch, Bulgarian, Chinese,

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, Polish, and the languages of the Central Asian Turkic Republics. The language offerings are subject to change based on demand and academic trends. The Ankara University Kreiken Observatory, which began construction in 1959 and opened officially in 1963, is another key center. It provides significant contributions to astronomy, offering both scientific research opportunities and educational events for children, students, and the general public. The observatory also makes its facilities available to the public during important astronomical events. The Ankara University Women Issues Research and Application Center (''KASAUM''), founded to address gender issues and the role of women in society, organizes research and educational programs. In 1996, the center launched the "Women Research" master's program to further support research in this field. Similarly, the Small Entrepreneurship Research and Application Center (''KIGAUM'') conducts research on small business entrepreneurship, offers educational programs for academics and entrepreneurs, and fosters partnerships with both local and international centers. The Distance Education Center at Ankara University provides opportunities for students to pursue higher education remotely, offering both full degree programs and individual courses. The university also operates the Center of Excellence in Superconductivity Research (''CESUR''), which focuses on the study of superconducting materials such as MgB2, BSCCO, and YBCO, particularly for use in practical superconductivity technologies. The Ankara University European Research Center (''ATAUM''), founded in 1987, is dedicated to promoting knowledge of the European Union and Turkey-EU relations. It engages in interdisciplinary research and training, contributing to a deeper understanding of the political and economic dynamics of the EU and its member states. Additionally, the Ankara University Center for Earthquake Research conducts independent studies on seismic activity, with a particular focus on the region surrounding Ankara and broader Turkey. Several other specialized centers at the university include the Psychiatric Crisis Research and Application Center (''PKUAM''), which focuses on psychiatric crises, suicide prevention, and related public health issues. Established in 1987, ''PKUAM'' serves as a reference point for the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

. The Brain Research Center, founded in 2009, is another prominent research center, bringing together experts from diverse fields like linguistics, psychiatry, neurology, and electrical engineering to explore the human brain. The Latin American Research and Application Center (''LAMER''), opened in 2009, conducts research into the political, economic, social, and cultural issues of Latin America. It aims to analyze the region's development and explore how its experiences might be applied in Turkey. Similarly, the Center for the Research of Child's Culture (''ÇOKAUM''), founded in 1994, focuses on research related to children's culture and organizes both national and international academic events. The Center for Research of South Eastern Europe (''GAMER''), established in 2009, addresses the cultural, historical, and economic aspects of the South Eastern European region. In addition to these, the university operates the Center for the Research of Turkish Geography (''TÜCAUM''), which began its activities in 1990. ''TÜCAUM'' supports research on Turkish geography, compiles relevant data, and maintains an archive of materials related to Turkey's geographical studies. The Political Psychology Research and Application Center (POLPAUM) and the Center of Environmental Science also contribute to the university's diverse academic focus. Finally, the Old Age Research and Application Center (''YASAM'') works on issues related to aging and the welfare of older individuals, conducting research and publishing on the social, economic, health, and psychological conditions of the elderly.

International perspective

The Department of Japanese Language and Literature was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister's commendation for their contributions to promotion of Japanese language education in Turkey on December 1, 2020.

Notable people

Faculty

* Hasan Reşit Tankut, Turkish politician and historian

Notable alumni

* Bülent Arınç – Politician and former speaker of the parliament *

Tomris Bakır Tomris Bakır (5 November 1941 - 25 February 2020) was a classical archaeologist from Turkey, who specialised in ceramics, and was the Director of Excavations at Daskyleion. Biography Tomris Akbaşoğlu was born on 5 November 1941. She studie ...

– Archaeologist *

Deniz Baykal Deniz Baykal (20 July 1938 – 11 February 2023) was a Turkish politician. A member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. Having served in numerous governmen ...

– Politician and party leader * Ataol Behramoglu – Poet and university lecturer * Akın Birdal – Politician * Osman Birsen – Former CEO of

Istanbul Stock Exchange The Borsa İstanbul (abbreviated as BIST) is the sole exchange entity of Turkey combining the former Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) (), the Istanbul Gold Exchange () and the Derivatives Exchange of Turkey () under one umbrella. It was establishe ...

* Deniz Çakır – Actor *

Cengiz Çandar Cengiz Çandar (born 1948) is a Turkish politician, journalist, senior columnist, and a Middle East expert. He is elected to the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) in May 2023, as Deputy of Diyarbakır from the pro-Kurdish, the Peoples’ Equality and De ...

– Journalist *

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (; born 5 February 1968) is a Turkish diplomat and politician who is currently a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Grand National Assembly. He also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Turkey), Minister o ...

– Diplomat and politician; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey * Mustafa Ceceli – Singer * Şirin Cemgil – Lawyer * Hikmet Çetin – Former speaker of the Parliament * Mehmet Culum – Novelist * Can Dündar – Journalist * İsmail Hakkı Duru – Theoretical physicist *

Muammer Güler Muammer Güler (born 21 March 1949) is a Turkish Mhallami politician. He is a member of parliament from the Justice and Development Party (AKP). He was formerly the Governor of Istanbul Province and the Minister of the Interior under Prime M ...

– Governor of Istanbul *

Aydın Güven Gürkan Aydın Güven Gürkan (May 10, 1941 – January 22, 2006) was a Turkish academic and politician. Early life Gürkan was born in Elazığ on 10 May 1941. In 1963, he graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Ankara University. In 1970, ...

– Academic and socialist party leader * Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu – Former secretary-general of the

Organisation of the Islamic Conference The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC; ; ), formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969. It consists of 57 member states, 48 of which are Muslim-majority. The Pew Forum on ...

Erdal İnönü Erdal İnönü (6 June 1926 – 31 October 2007) was a Turkish theoretical physicist and politician who served as the interim prime minister of Turkey between 16 May and 25 June 1993. He also served as the deputy prime minister of Turkey from 1 ...

– Academic and politician * Mustafa Kalemli – Physician and politician * Ahmet Taner Kışlalı – Intellectual and former government minister *

Hayri Kozakçıoğlu Hayri Kozakçıoğlu (1938 – May 23, 2013) was a Turkish high-ranking civil servant and politician. He served as district governor, police chief, province governor in various administrative divisions. He was known as the first regional governo ...

– Province governor and politician * Ferit Melen – Former prime minister *

Adnan Menderes Ali Adnan Ertekin Menderes (; 1899 – 17 September 1961) was a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister of Turkey between 1950 and 1960. He was one of the founders of the Democrat Party (DP) in 1946, the fourth legal opposition party of ...

– Former prime minister *

Murathan Mungan Murathan Mungan (born 21 April 1955) is a Turkish author, short story writer, playwright, and poet. Biography Mungan's family originates from Mardin. His father is an Arab and mother is a Bosniak. After receiving his BA from the Faculty of L ...

– Author * Tahsin Özgüç – Archaeologist * Ahmet Necdet Sezer - President of Turkey (2000–2007) *

Cemal Süreya Cemâl Süreya (born Cemâlettin Seber; 1931 – 9 January 1990) was a Turkish poet and writer of Kurdish– Zaza descent. Biography Süreya and his family were deported to Bilecik, a city in the Marmara Region of Turkey after the Dersim R ...

– Poet *

Murat Karayalçın Murat Karayalçın (born 26 October 1943) is a prominent Turkish politician. He is a former foreign minister (1994–1995), deputy prime minister, and a former mayor of Ankara (1989–1993). He is the founder (in 2002) of the new SHP. Of Hamshe ...

– Former Minister for Foreign Affairs; former Deputy Prime Minister and former Mayor of Ankara * Hasan Celal Güzel – Former Minister of National Education * Mehmet Hakkı Suçin - Arabist * Selahattin Demirtaş – Politician * İlber Ortaylı – Historian *

Metin Feyzioğlu Metin Feyzioğlu (born 7 July 1969) is a Turkish lawyer and a professor of criminal law who served as the 8th president of the Turkish Bars Association between May 2013 and December 2021. Metin Feyzioğlu was appointed as Türkiye's new ambassado ...

– Lawyer *

Halil İnalcık Halil İnalcık (7 September 1916 – 25 July 2016) was a Turkish historian. His highly influential research centered on social and economic approaches to the Ottoman Empire. His academic career started at Ankara University, where he completed h ...

– Historian *

İhsan Doğramacı İhsan Doğramacı (3 April 1915 – 25 February 2010) was a Turkish people, Turkish paediatrician, entrepreneur, philanthropist, educationalist and college administrator of Iraqi Turkmen descent born in modern Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq ...

– Physician and university founder * Ahmet Taner Kışlalı – Politician * Engin Akyürek – Actor * Mehmet Görmez – Academic *

Melih Gökçek İbrahim Melih Gökçek (; born 20 October 1948) is a Turkish politician who served as the mayor of Ankara from 1994 to 2017. From 1991 to 1994, he was an MP. Gökçek has won municipal elections in 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, and was controversial ...

– Politician *

Mehmet Şimşek Mehmet Şimşek (born 1 January 1967) is a Turkish politician and economist, who has been serving as the List of Finance Ministers of Turkey, Minister of Treasury and Finance since 4 June 2023. He was the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey from 24 ...

– Politician * Beşir Atalay – Politician *

Abdullah Öcalan Abdullah Öcalan ( ; ; born 4 April 1948 or 1949), also known as Apo (short for Abdullah in Turkish; Kurdish for "uncle"), is a founding member of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Öcalan was based in Syria from 1979 to 1998. He ...

–

Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...

leader and political thinker * Doğu Perinçek – Politician * Mehmet Haberal – Physician and founder of Başkent University * Cüneyt Özdemir – Journalist *

Mithat Sancar Mithat Sancar (born 1963) is a Turkish professor of public and constitutional law, columnist, and translator of Arab descent. He has been an MP for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the Turkish parliament since the June 2015 general elec ...

– Politician *

Metin Altıok Metin Altıok (March 14, 1941 – July 9, 1993) was a Turkish poet of Alevism, Alevi faith, who - together with 34 other people, mostly Alevi intellectuals - fell victim to the 1993 Sivas massacre. Life Metin Altıok was born in Bergama, İzm ...

– Poet *

Ahmed Arif Ahmed Arif (21 April 1927 in Siverek – 2 June 1991 in Ankara) was a Turkish- Kurdish poet. His father, Arif Hikmet, is an ethnic Turkmen from Kirkuk, and his mother Sayre is Kurdish. Ahmed Arif studied philosophy at Ankara University. Ar ...

– Poet * Ayşenur İslam – Politician * Selma Aliye Kavaf – Politician * Sezai Karakoç – Author and poet * Suat Kılıç – Politician * Ece Temelkuran – Author * Mehmet Bekaroğlu – Physician and politician *

Çetin Altan Çetin Altan (22 June 1927 – 22 October 2015) was a Turkish writer, journalist, and a member of parliament. He was considered one of the finest writers in the modern Turkish language of the late 20th century. Early years Çetin Altan was ...

– Author and politician * Sırrı Süreyya Önder – Politician * Haluk Koç -– Politician * Mustafa Kamalak -– Saadet Party leader *

Merve Kavakçı Merve is a feminine Turkish name, Turkish given name of Arabic origin. It originates from the Arabic female name Marwa (name), Marwa. It has two meanings: # Pebble # One of the two sacred hills in Mecca, Saudi Arabia between which Muslims travel bac ...

-– Politician *

– Politician *

Kartal Tibet Kartal Tibet (27 March 1937 – 1 July 2021) was a Turkish actor, academic, director, screenwriter and producer. A prominent lead actor of classic films in the Turkish cinema, he has played a wide range of characters in various genres, including ...

– Screenwriter * Mehmet Mehdi Eker – Politician * Sema Ramazanoğlu – Politician *

Naci Bostancı Mehmet Naci Bostancı (born 2 August 1957) is a Turkish politician and academic who currently serves as the Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly along with Şafak Pavey, Koray Aydın and Yurdusev Özsökmenler as of 9 July 2015. He was ...

– Politician *

Sadullah Ergin Sadullah Ergin (born 6 July 1964) is a Turkish people, Turkish politician. Born to Mehmet İsmet Ergin and Hatice Ergin in Antakya. He completed his primary and secondary education there and then studied at the Uludağ University Economics and ...

– Politician * Emine Ülker Tarhan – Politician * Abdülkadir Aksu – Politician *

Mustafa Elitaş Mustafa Elitaş (5 January 1957, Kayseri) is a Turkish politician who served as the Economy Minister of Turkey from 24 November 2015 to 24 November 2016. Elitaş graduated from the Department of Economics and Public Finance of Ankara University ...

– Politician * Altan Erkekli – Theatre actor * Adalet Ağaoğlu – Author *

Bülent Ecevit Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (; 28 May 1925 – 5 November 2006) was a Turkish politician, statesman, poet, writer, scholar, and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. He served as prime minister in 197 ...

– Politician * Hakim Muhammad Said – Pedical researcher, scholar, philanthropist, and Governor of Sindh Province, Pakistan from 1993 until 1996 * Abdüllatif Şener – Politician, former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Finance * Adnan Sezgin – Former soccer player and businessman * Tuluhan Tekelioğlu – Journalist, writer and documentary film producer * Tülay Tuğcu – Former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Turkey *

Hamdi Ulukaya Hamdi Ulukaya (born 26 October 1972) is a Turkish billionaire businessman, activist and philanthropist of Kurdish ethnicity based in the United States. He is the founder, owner, chairman, and chief executive officer of the strained yogurt bra ...

– Owner, founder, chairman, and CEO of

Chobani Chobani is an American food company specializing in strained yogurt. The company was founded in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish businessman of Kurds, Kurdish origin. Chobani sells thick, Greek yogurt with a higher protein content than traditional ...

Gazi Yaşargil Mahmut Gazi Yaşargil (6 July 1925 – 10 June 2025) was a Turkish medical scientist and neurosurgeon. He collaborated with Raymond M. P. Donaghy M.D at the University of Vermont in developing microneurosurgery. Yaşargil treated epilepsy and b ...

– Physician *

Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu (December 31, 1954 – March 25, 2009) was a Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey. He was the leader and founder of the Great Unity Party (BBP), a far-right, nationalist-Islamist political party. ...

– Politician *

Mesut Yılmaz Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz () (6 November 1947 – 30 October 2020) was a Turkish politician. He was the leader of the Motherland Party (, ANAP) from 1991 to 2002, and served three times as Prime Minister of Turkey. His first two prime-ministerial term ...

– Politician * Halil Ergün – Actor *

Selda Bağcan Havva Selda Bağcan (; born December 14, 1948) is a Turkish folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and music producer. Early life Selda Bağcan was born in 1948 in the western Turkish town of Muğla. Her father was a veterinarian of Macedonian Tur ...

– Singer and songwriter *

– Politician *

– Politician * Barış Falay – Actor

History

Research

International perspective

Notable people

Faculty

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links