International Opportunities
İstanbul Bilgi University was founded with the spirit of becoming an “International university” and today is celebrating its 20th anniversary. BİLGİ has created a difference thanks to the high volume of foreign students it hosts, and is one of the top universities in terms of the number of foreign instructors it employs and the many international activities that it hosts. As a result of the momentum generated from efficiently utilizing the opportunities provided by being a member of the Laureate International Universities since 2006, BİLGİ is firmly marching towards its goal of becoming one of the most ambitious universities in not only Turkey but the geographical region it is located in.
BİLGİ has opened the door to more than 80 institutions of higher learning in 28 countries located throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia/Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa thanks to its collaboration with Laureate International Universities, and due to the more than 600 Erasmus exchange agreements in place, the doors to Europe are open for its students. There are also unique bilateral exchange agreements in place with many global universities. The greatest advantage of being at the center of an educational network that spans four continents of the world is to have the power to offer students the opportunity to choose from hundreds of programs in dozens of countries that cater to their interests.
The International Center is responsible for sending the students on one or two semester exchange programs and hosting the foreign exchange students sent by foreign institutions that the university collaborates with. The International Center provides assistance in such areas like the Laureate student exchange, Erasmus student and personnel exchange, dual exchange programs and summer schools. The number of foreign students that study exclusively at BİLGİ is now more than 1000.
Laureate Student Exchange:
Laureate International Universities is a trusted global leader in providing access to high quality, innovative institutions of higher education. The Laureate International Universities network includes more than 70 accredited campus-based and online universities. Laureate’s more than 1 million students are part of an academic community that spans 25 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Laureate universities offer more than 150 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs in fields including architecture, art, business, culinary arts, design, education, engineering, health sciences, hospitality management, information technology, law and medicine.
The Laureate exchange program is committed to providing high priority service to BİLGİ students within the spectrum of a globally diversified higher education. The program has a wide interdisciplinary variety. Due to differences like the academic calendar and curriculum, graduate students are unable to go on term based exchange programs but students are given the opportunity to choose from the institutions among the Laureate Network Universities suitable to their desired study program by paying an additional fee. Program application and acceptance criteria are different for each institution. For programs that require English proficiency a TOEFL or IELTS score is required and GPA expectations vary according to each university.
The major task of the Laureate Exchange Programs Office is to assist students to competitively design their academic and career development, help students reach their highest potential and support their achievement of personal and professional goals and bring students a global perspective with a blend of multicultural and career-oriented educational experience. The Laureate Exchange Programs Office directs and assists students from the application process to when they reach their exchange program country and during their exchange period at the institution.
Erasmus Exchange Programs
The Erasmus Program was established by the European Union to enhance quality and reinforce the European dimension of higher education by encouraging transnational cooperation between universities. The Erasmus Program is designed to foster student and teaching staff mobility in Europe.
İstanbul Bilgi University began to participate in the Erasmus Program during the 2004-05 academic year. BİLGİ provides its students with an opportunity to live and study in Europe to broaden their educational and cultural horizons under the framework of the Erasmus Program, through more than 600 agreements with partner universities in 26 countries. For this purpose, many BİLGİ departments have established Erasmus partnerships with their counterparts at numerous distinguished European universities. Students who participate in the Erasmus Program may spend between three months and a full academic year abroad at partner universities of BİLGİ. Erasmus students may benefit from EU mobility grants.
Students must return to their home universities at the end of the Erasmus exchange period and complete their program of study at their home university. Credits obtained from the partner university are applied towards graduation at BİLGİ, subject to the approval of the relevant BİLGİ units.
The Erasmus Program at BİLGİ is managed by the Erasmus Office at the institutional level. The Erasmus Office is responsible for the announcements, applications, selection of students, mobility grants etc. Also, every BİLGİ department has an Erasmus coordinator, responsible for academic advising and the agreements of the department.
Erasmus+ Placement (Internship) Program
Erasmus+ Placements are an initiative of the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Program. A placement is a period that a student can spend in a company (profit/non-profit), university or academic center which are related to their area of studies at a participating European country or participating country. Placements assist students to adapt to the requirements of the labor market, to acquire specific skills and to improve their work experience. The duration of a placement must be for a minimum of 2 months (60 days) and maximum of 12 months for undergraduate, graduate and PhD students. It is best for the student to plan for the placement to be during the summer.
Students are responsible for obtaining acceptance from the institution they wish to work at. Regarding accommodation, students can get advice from the institution they are going to work at.
Students who successfully complete the Erasmus+ Placement Program will be awarded a minimum of 4 or 6 ECTS credits as an elective course. Students with compulsory internship must consult with their departmental coordinators.