- Bilkent University was established in 1984 as the first foundation university in Turkey, and admitted its first students in 1986.
- The campus, 12 kilometers from the city center, is located in the country’s capital Ankara, a vibrant metropolis of 6 million.
- Approximately 12,500 students, 66% of whom receive scholarships. The scholarship rate equivalent to a full scholarship for all enrolled students is 48%.
- Bilkent University has 30 undergraduate and 59 graduate programs in a variety of fields.
- Bilkent University has student exchange program agreements with 388 universities in 54 countries.
- Approximately 24% of the faculty consists of academics from 39 different countries.
- Faculty members were supported with a budget of approximately 2.9 billion Turkish Liras between 2005 and 2025 in the frame of the European Union (143), The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (1021), public and private company (674) projects.
- The European Research Council (ERC) has provided research funding for a total of 15 projects by Bilkent faculty members to date.
- The Bilkent University Library collection includes 614,303 books (print, electronic, and audio), 105,874 electronic journals, 92,991 print periodicals (current and archived), and 259 databases.
- Bilkent dormitories can accommodate a total of 4,830 students.
- The Health Center offers health services to all students along with academic and administrative staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- There are 100 student clubs at Bilkent, enabling students to come together to participate in favorite activities or develop new interests.
- Since 1999, students have been taking part in numerous community projects organized by the Social Responsibility Center, Bilkent’s umbrella organization for volunteer activities.
- Radio Bilkent, established and staffed by students, broadcasts in the FM band at the 96.6 MHz frequency.
- Through university outreach activities, nearly 100,000 students are informed about Bilkent each year, and around 750 educational institutions are hosted on campus.
- Every year, more than 100 organizations visit Bilkent University to provide students with information about career opportunities.
- The Bilkent Symphony Orchestra (BSO) performs more than 30 concerts each year at the 700-seat Bilkent Concert Hall, the 4,000-seat Odeon, and across Turkey.
- Bilkent Cyberpark, founded in 2002, is one of the fastest growing techno parks in Turkey, serving with more than 350 technology-based companies, 3 research centers, and over 5,500 personnel.
- There are more than 60,000 Bilkent alumni.
This overview reflects information available as of December 2025.