Erciyes University

Erciyes University is a Turkish institute of higher education located in Kayseri, Turkey. As of 4 April 2006, a total of 28,474 students were studying for their bachelor's degree and postgraduate studies.


Erciyes University began as the Gevher Nesibe Medical Faculty, which was opened as an affiliation with Hacettepe University in 1969, and Kayseri Business Administration Faculty, which opened in 1977, constituted an independent university under the name of The University of Kayseri in 1978. In 1982, the other two higher education institutions in Kayseri were incorporated into the same university as Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Theology. Then its name was converted to Erciyes University.

The name of the university has an inspiration from Mount Erciyes, which is 15 kilometres to the southwest of the university. Today, besides a campus in Kayseri's city center, the university runs its activities in central Anatolia, which provides education in 17 faculties, 14 vocational high schools, four institutions and nine research centers, and a highly developed research hospital with 1,000 beds. Establishment of Erciyes University dates back to 1978 under the name of Kayseri University. It was established as an affiliate of Hacettepe University in Ankara. Kayseri Business Administration Faculty, founded in 1977, constituted the nucleus of Kayseri University which was converted into Erciyes University. The other two higher education institutes; the Theology Institute founded in 1967, and Kayseri State Higher Education Academy founded in 1977, were incorporated into the university as the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Engineering. The name of the university was inspired by Mount Erciyes (3,917 m), which lies 15 kilometers to the south-west of the university. In addition to the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the following faculties were added: in 1992 the Faculty of Architecture and Fine Arts, in 1993 the Faculty of Architecture and Engineering located in Yozgat, in 1995 the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences in Kayseri and the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in Yozgat, in 1997 the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in Nevşehir, the Faculty of Dentistry and the Faculty of Communication, in 2002 the Faculty of Education, in 2003 the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Pharmacology and in 2005, the Develi Seyrani Faculty of Agriculture.

Some Colleges of Erciyes University include: the Physical Education and Sports College, Kayseri Atatürk Health College, the Civil Aviation College, the School of Foreign Languages, the Tourism and Hotel Management College, Nevşehir College of Tourism and Hotel Management, Nevşehir Health College and Yozgat Health College. Vocational colleges include: Kayseri Vocational College, Halil Bayraktar Health Services Vocational College, Safiye Çıkrıkçıoğlu Vocational College, Kocasinan Vocational College, the Vocational School of Social Sciences, Nevşehir Vocational College, Yozgat Vocational College and Develi Vocational College.

The faculties located in Yozgat and Nevşehir separated from Erciyes University and became part of Bozok and Nevşehir universities in 2008. In 2010, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences was reorganized and became the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Letters. Atatürk Health College became the Faculty of Health Sciences, Atatürk’s Principles and Reforms Appliance and Research Center became Atatürk’s Principles and History Institute, and in the same year the Institute of Educational Sciences was founded. In the 2009-2010 academic year more than 30,000 students were in attendance at Erciyes university. More than 500 Students from the Turkic republics, Turkish and relative communities are presently studying at Erciyes University.