Our University is launching the Social Transcript, an initiative designed to document students’ social, cultural, athletic, and professional development alongside their academic achievements. The first Social Transcripts will be issued to the Class of 2026 and will be managed through the PUMA digital platform.

To introduce the initiative, our University held a launch meeting on Thursday, July 2, at 14.00 in the Design Factory at the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus. The Social Transcript aims to make students' extracurricular achievements throughout their university life visible and verifiable.

The initiative is designed to record students' club activities, cultural and athletic participation, projects, volunteer experiences, part-time employment, badges, certificates, and portfolio outputs.

The University's new initiative was developed in response to the evolving meaning of the higher education diploma and the growing need for students to demonstrate their competencies in a more concrete and comprehensive manner. The Council of Higher Education's ongoing work on micro-credentials also served as an important reference in shaping the initiative.

The results of the THE Impact Rankings 2026, which assess universities based on their contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), have been announced.

Among more than 1,603 universities worldwide and 74 universities from Türkiye evaluated in this year's rankings, Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) was ranked in the categories of Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequalities, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and Partnerships for the Goals. Compared to the previous year, the University achieved one of the most significant improvements in the rankings.

IKU's strongest performance was in SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, where it placed in the 101–200 global ranking band, ranking among the top 10 universities in Türkiye and the top five foundation universities in the country.

The University also achieved a 201–300 global ranking in both SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 5: Gender Equality, highlighting its commitment to educational quality, inclusivity, and equal opportunities on an international scale.

Having been placed in the 1501+ band in both 2024 and 2025, Istanbul Kültür University advanced to the 801–1000 band in 2026, marking a significant improvement in its overall sustainability performance.

Rector Prof. Dr. Fadime Üney Yüksektepe commented on the University's progress in the THE Impact Rankings 2026:

"Universities have an ever-growing responsibility to contribute to making the world a better place. In 2025, we reaffirmed our commitment to universal values in higher education by signing the Magna Charta Universitatum. The THE Impact Rankings 2026 demonstrate that IKU's efforts in sustainability, social impact, ethical governance, and internationalization are being recognized within a broader global higher education perspective. Since its establishment, Kültür has embraced social responsibility as one of its core institutional principles. For this reason, our advancement in the THE Impact Rankings carries particular significance for us. Every unit of our University—especially the IKU Sustainable Development Center (SÜRKAM)—contributed to this achievement with great dedication and commitment. Our success in SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, where we ranked among the top 10 universities in Türkiye and the top five foundation universities, is a strong reflection of our strategic commitment to education that serves society."

Chair of the Board of Trustees Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver stated that the results reflect the strength of the Kültür educational tradition:

"Our progress in the area of Quality Education is particularly meaningful to us. As the Kültür brand, we have been providing education for 65 years at the K–12 level and 30 years in higher education. At the same time, each of the seven SDGs in which we were ranked is equally valuable. Our achievements in Gender Equality, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequalities, and Partnerships for the Goals reflect the strength of our mission in education, research, and social responsibility. Ranking among the top 10 universities in Türkiye and the top five foundation universities in SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions is an additional source of pride. Through IKU Sustainable Development Center (SÜRKAM), we will continue advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals across our University."

Vice Rector and Director of the IKU Sustainable Development Center (SÜRKAM) Prof. Dr. Burcu Yavuz Tiftikçigilalso shared her evaluation of the rankings:

"The THE Impact Rankings 2026 confirm that Istanbul Kültür University's work toward the Sustainable Development Goals has gained international recognition. Throughout 2025, SÜRKAM documented the University's environmental, economic, and social sustainability initiatives in the IKU SÜRKAM Report, which was shared with the public. Seeing these efforts reflected in a prestigious international ranking such as THE provides us with strong motivation to further strengthen our sustainability initiatives." 

The undergraduate program of the Department of Industrial Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering at Istanbul Kültür University has been granted continued MÜDEK accreditation and the EUR-ACE Label until September 30, 2029, following the evaluation conducted by the Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programs (MÜDEK).

As Istanbul Kültür University (IKU), we conducted comprehensive Earthquake Drills across all our campuses and at our women's dormitory on June 19 and 22, 2026, as part of our disaster awareness and emergency preparedness efforts.

Our Department of Industrial Engineering faculty members and alumni participated in the 45th National Operations Research and Industrial Engineering Congress, held in Istanbul between June 29 and July 1, to present their studies. The papers presented at the congress are as follows:

1. Machine Learning Based Order Forecasting and Uncertainty Reduction Approach in the Packaging Sector
Authors: Azra İpek Dede, Elnur Eren, Dilara Gökçe Karcıoğlu, Damla Yağlı, Yunus Ağcabay, Assist. Prof. Duygun Fatih Demirel

2. Customer-Oriented Product Development in New Market Entry: A Quality Function Deployment Based Application
Authors: Selim Gecü, Gözde Özer, Elif Bozdoğanlı, Ayşe Arslan, Büşra Doğan, Assist. Prof. Zeynep Gergin

3. Data Mining Applications for Improving Quality in the Automotive Sub-Industry
Authors: Melike Tosun, Asil Aytaç Özer, Barış Akman, Bora Kaan Haydar, Emir Özbay, Assist. Prof. Zeynep Gergin

4. Quality Function Deployment Application for the Improvement of Sugar Paste Product
Authors: Nazım Berk Güner, İlayda Nur Karabulut, Zeynep Koçak, Mert Gülcan, Ceyda Ardal, Assist. Prof. Zeynep Gergin

5. Analysis of Safety Stock Optimization and Energy-Based Workforce Productivity in Muya Company with an Integrated Approach
Authors: Sevdegül Okçu, Zeynep Yumuşak, İlkem Sağ, Sinem Kurt, Miray Kandemir, Assist. Prof. İbrahim Ethem Tarhan, Prof. Dr. Tülin Aktin

6. An Intuitive Solution Approach to the Workshop Planning Problem: Changing the Bottleneck Application at Sarteks Textile
Authors: Sena Karakuş, Buse Beril Bakır, Ceren Özcan, Ali Sağcan, Melih Özkaş, Assist. Prof. İlayda Ülkü

7. Optimization of the Circular Trip Distribution Network in an International Transportation, Storage and Distribution Company
Authors: Alesya Kırşan, Seden Dağdeviren, Emirhan İsmailoğlu, Dilasu Peker, Simge İnan, Assist. Prof. İlayda Ülkü

8. Capacity Integer Programming Approach for Transfer Center and Branch Location Selection in Cargo Distribution Networks
Authors: Öznur Öztanç, Metehan Güneş, Ebru Büyük, Gözde Akgül, Assist. Prof. Duygun Fatih Demirel

9. Capacity and Shift-Constrained Route Optimization in Intra-City Courier Operations
Authors: Zeynep Asude Coşar, Zehra Sukas, Emirhan Kılıc, Berk Kara, Hayriye Ok, Assist. Prof. İlayda Ülkü

10. Development of a Decision Support System with Structural Risk Analysis Approach in Project Management
Authors: Arda Özcan, Sudenaz İrkilmez, Emircan Gündüz, Merve Ulusoy, Aysu Akdüzen, Assist. Prof. Zeynep Gergin

Assoc. Prof. Artür Yetvart Mumcu, Advisor to the Istanbul Kültür University Mountaineering Club, successfully completed the Uludağ Summit Climb on June 27, 2026. The activity was organized by the Istanbul Nature Sports Club, where he served as a hiking leader on behalf of the Turkish Mountaineering Federation.

As part of the activity, the Istanbul Kültür University pennant was unfurled at the highest point of the Marmara Region, proudly representing our university. Displayed at the summit, the pennant became a meaningful symbol of Istanbul Kültür University's commitment to nature sports, team spirit, and high-quality student clubs.

The summit climb, during which teamwork, discipline, planning, and safety principles were prioritized, provided participants with a valuable mountaineering experience while also enhancing our university's visibility in the field of nature sports.

As Istanbul Kültür University, we congratulate our Mountaineering Club Advisor, Assoc. Prof. Artür Yetvart Mumcu, and all the athletes who successfully completed the summit climb, and wish them continued success in their future activities in nature sports.

Prof. Dr. Neslihan Dostoğlu, a faculty member in the Department of Architecture within the Faculty of Architecture, presented a paper as an invited speaker at the International ITMAD 2026 Conference, held at Gebze Technical University on 17–18 June 2026.

The article titled "Structural Drivers and Forecasting Dynamics of the BIST100 Index: A Hybrid ML/DL Approach Integrating Liquidity, Sentiment, and Macroeconomic Factors," co-authored by Assist. Prof. Ethem Tarhan, a faculty member in the Department of Industrial Engineering, has been accepted for publication in the Review of Behavioral Finance.

The study examines the structural drivers and forecasting dynamics of the BIST100 Index using a hybrid machine learning and deep learning approach that integrates liquidity, market sentiment, and macroeconomic factors.

We congratulate Dr. Tarhan and all of the co-authors on this achievement and wish them continued success in their academic endeavors.

Our Department of New Media and Communication student, Şara Nehir İpekçi, is competing in the Digital Publishing category of the TRT Future Communicators Competition with her project titled "Prompt.ly."

Developed within the scope of the "Graduation Project II" course conducted by Prof. Dr. Nurhan Yel, Prompt.ly was designed as a prompt library and digital learning platform aimed at promoting the effective and accurate use of prompts in AI-assisted content creation.

We congratulate our student and wish her success throughout the competition.

An article titled "Defining the Ethnic Enclave: Syrian Immigrant Spaces in Fatih, Istanbul," co-authored by Prof. Dr. Neslihan Dostoğlu, a faculty member in the Department of Architecture within the Faculty of Architecture, and Dr. Merve Güleryüz Çohadar, a graduate of IKU's PhD Program in Architecture and a part-time lecturer in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, has been published in the June issue of Open House International, a journal indexed in both the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI).

The academic articles of our Head of the Department of Arts and Cultural Management, Prof. Dr. Reyhan Uludağ, are published in the monthly ArtHubMag art magazine.

Click here to read her article titled "The Artistic Traces of the Invisible Gaze," published in the July issue of the magazine.

The Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) 2026 Graduation Ball will be held on Tuesday, July 7, at 19.00 at Portaxe Baltalimanı.

Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) 2025-2026 Academic Year Graduation Ceremony will be held in three sessions at the Yahya Kemal Beyatlı Performance Center on July 9-10, 2026, between 11.00 and 18.00.

IKU Turkish Folk Music (THM) Choir will perform at the "4th International Istanbul Choir Festival" organized by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality between July 9-12.