Bilkent University was founded in 1984 as Turkey’s first private, non-profit, foundation supported university with the mission of serving as a center of excellence in higher education for quality teaching and intensive research. In about 30 years, it quickly become recognized as the country’s premier institution of higher education. Bilkent University ranks 87th in the Times Higher Education Asia university rankings.

More than 70 percent of Bilkent faculty members have PhD’s from abroad, with their degrees mostly from leading research universities in North America and Europe. One-third of the academic staff is non-Turkish, with the majority from the US, Canada and the UK. Bilkent University’s international community of scholars and students is an essential component of academic programs, research activities, and social life.

Bilkent University has nine faculties, two four-year professional schools, and three graduate schools. There are about 850 international students from over 70 countries.

Faculty of Engineering is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET and the Faculty of Business Administration is the first business school in Turkey to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Being an English language university facilitates worldwide international faculty and student recruitment.

In order to fulfill its strategic objective of intensifying the international nature of the university, Bilkent has committed itself for the period of 2021-2027 to increase the number of degree seeking international students, Erasmus students, Erasmus staff mobility, European and international cooperation projects and work placement as well as the level of quality in each of these activities. Bilkent also undertakes to contribute to the goals of European Education Area and implement necessary steps to digital mobility management in line with the technical standards of the European Student Card Initiative.

International mobility activities are coordinated and promoted by the Office of Vice Rector for Student Affairs and International Relations, the Office of International Students and Exchange Programs, Faculty Executive Boards and university-wide committee of departmental Exchange Coordinators.

Bilkent University has more than 330 partnership agreements with universities from Europe, North America, Korea, Japan, China, Singapore and Malaysia and is planning to establish new cooperation agreements from Europe, South America and Russia.

At the University, exchange programs are promoted to all students and staff, and the applications are processed in a transparent way. Earned ECTS credits or partner university credits during the mobility periods are fully recognized and transferred directly to the students' curriculum. The grades are also shown on the students’ transcripts as well as their diploma supplements.

While establishing a relationship and determining partner universities, Bilkent University primarily assesses the compatibility of the academic programs between the institutions, and inquires as to whether or not the partner institution offers sufficient number of courses in English or other widely spoken languages.

Bilkent University annually hosts more than 150 incoming exchange students and sends 300 outgoing exchange students in the first and second cycles. As the University is committed to supporting the student mobility, and increasing the number of incoming students, free of charge on –campus accommodation has been offered starting from 2013-2014 academic year.

Bilkent University aims to improve the quality of the services provided to all mobility programs by enhancing the range of support services, information technology, as well as ensuring a full integration and involvement of incoming students and teaching staff in events and activities taking place in the university community during their residence. Bilkent ensures that outgoing mobile participants are well prepared for their activities abroad, including blended mobility and distance learning.

Bilkent University has developed double degree programs in the level of first and second cycles in the fields of Global International Affairs, Management, Economics and Communication with the partner universities from the U.S.A and Europe and intends to add new double degree programs in different fields.