Ege University from Past to Present

Ege University, the fourth oldest university in Turkey, was established by Law No. 6595, entitled 'Establishing a University Called Ege University in Izmir', which was published in the Official Gazette No. 9013 on 20 May 1955. The university began its academic life on 5 November 1955.

The first two faculties at Ege University are the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Agriculture, both of which were founded in 1955, as was the School of Nursing.

Having completed its establishment within 20 years, Ege University gradually added new faculties, institutions and schools to its academic units.

In 1982, Ege University was divided in two, facilitating the foundation of Dokuz Eylül University through the transfer of many pre-established faculties and schools. Furthermore, Ege University's faculties and schools in various provinces and districts were later transferred to become the first faculties and schools of Afyon Kocatepe University, Pamukkale University, Celal Bayar University and Adnan Menderes University.

By 2026, Ege University comprised 20 faculties, 11 institutes, two schools, one state conservatory of Turkish music, 11 vocational schools of higher education, six rectorate units and 35 application and research centres.

In the 2025–26 academic year, Ege University will host a total of 50,621 students, 44,747 of whom are undergraduates and associate degree students, and 5,874 of whom are postgraduates. The university employs 2,915 academic staff and 6,556 administrative staff.

As one of the longest-established higher education institutions in Turkey, Ege University is a pioneering representative of Turkish higher education thanks to its achievements. It is a ‘Research University’, the first to receive a full institutional accreditation certificate in Turkey, and it maintains an A+ level of student satisfaction. It is also the first and only university to be awarded the title of ‘University that Most Effectively Supports Student Career Development’.

As one of the country’s leading scientific institutions, Ege University has a strong research infrastructure, particularly through its accredited Research and Application Centre for Drug Development and Pharmokinetics (ARGEFAR), Petroleum Analysis Laboratory (EGEPAL), MATAL (Application and Research Centre for Central Research, Testing and Analysis), FABAL (Pharmaceuticals Research Laboratory), BESTMER (Biological Energy Systems and Technology Centre) and the Ege University Research and Application Centre for Textile and Apparel Manufacturing (TEKAUM), as well as 896 laboratories across its faculties, schools, institutes and research and application centres to support educational and research activities. The university also has the EGE Teknopark Technology Development Zone, which is pioneering in its field, and the nüvEGE Incubation Centre. Thanks to its wide range of laboratories and strong research infrastructure, many tests and analyses are performed for the public and private sectors at Ege University. 

Since its establishment, Ege University, Turkey’s fourth university and the oldest and first in the region, has adopted the principle of contributing to the scientific world on a universal scale by producing knowledge that is both abundant and of high quality, by educating individuals who are culturally well-equipped, investigative and productive, and who are aware of local and global issues, and by creating higher added value by prioritising social benefit using its regional strength. Over the course of its 71-year history, Ege University has not only succeeded in research and education, but also in transferring acquired knowledge to society, thus breaking new ground in multiple fields. In addition to its internationally recognised quality education and theoretical and practical research activities, Ege University is a pioneer representative of the Fourth Generation University Concept due to its unique model of bringing the university together with industry, the state, research and development, innovation, entrepreneurship and information and knowledge transfer issues.