Ankara University of Social Sciences (ASBÜ)

Ankara University of Social Sciences is a public university in Türkiye focused on the social sciences. Its campus is located in the Ulus neighborhood of Ankara, the capital city, within the Altındağ district. ASBÜ was established in 2013 as Türkiye’s first and only specialized public university in the field of social sciences.^【1】 The university conducts its educational and research activities based on an approach that is research-oriented, graduate-focused, multilingual, multicultural, and interdisciplinary.

History

Ankara University of Social Sciences was established by Law No. 6470 dated 13 April 2013. Its founding principle is the production of original knowledge to address local social, human, administrative, political, commercial, and industrial challenges, rather than merely transferring knowledge generated in the West.^【2】

The Rectorate Service Building on the Ulus campus is a historical structure built in 1925 by architect Yahya Ahmet Bey. This building served as the Prime Ministry until 1937. It was later used by the Ministry of Finance and the General Directorate of Customs, and was assigned to ASBÜ in April 2013.

Ankara University of Social Sciences (Ankara University of Social Sciences)

Campuses

ASBÜ has adopted the urban university model, conducting its main activities within structures integrated into the historical fabric of the city.

• Ankara Ulus Campus (Main Campus): This central location houses the Rectorate and the university’s main units. The campus includes historical buildings such as Türkiye’s first Prime Ministry building and is situated near significant historical sites including the Hacı Bayram Veli Türbesi, the Roman Bath, and the Temple of Augustus.

• Northern Cyprus Campus (TRNC-Lefkoşa): This campus hosts undergraduate and associate degree programs, as well as the Faculty of Religious Sciences, the Institute of Western World Studies, the Institute of Eastern and African Studies, the Hacı Bayram Veli Islamic Research Institute, and the Institute of Turkic World Studies.

Academic Units

The university has structured its academic framework to facilitate interdisciplinary work in the field of social sciences.

Faculties

• Faculty of Theology
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Political Sciences
• Faculty of Social and Human Sciences
• Faculty of Art and Design
• Faculty of Foreign Languages
• Faculty of Communication

Institutes

• Institute of Regional Studies
• Institute of Islamic Studies
• Institute of Social Sciences
• Institute of Social Research and Innovation

Colleges

• College of Foreign Languages

Student Profile

Student admissions are based on national centralized placement examinations (Higher Education Institutions Examination – YKS). The total student population for the 2020–2021 academic year was reported as 3439.^【3】 The primary language of instruction is English, and students are encouraged to achieve a good level of English proficiency while also learning a second foreign language.

Departments

ASBÜ offers undergraduate and associate degree programs at its Ankara and Northern Cyprus campuses. The primary language of instruction is English, although some programs also offer instruction in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate programs are delivered within faculties and colleges.

Programs under the Faculty of Political Sciences include Economics, Business Administration, Political Science and Public Administration, and International Relations. These departments provide education in accordance with international standards and in English.

Undergraduate programs within the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences are Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, History, and Turkish Language and Literature.

The Faculty of Foreign Languages offers language and translation-focused programs. These include Chinese Translation and Interpretation, English Language and Literature, Spanish Translation and Interpretation, Japanese Translation and Interpretation, and Russian Translation and Interpretation.

Other undergraduate programs are offered in Law at the Faculty of Law, Theology at the Faculty of Theology, and New Media and Communication at the Faculty of Communication.

Northern Cyprus Campus Programs

The TRNC Campus provides both undergraduate and associate degree programs, offering international educational opportunities to students.

Undergraduate Programs

The TRNC Campus offers programs in Law, Economics, Theology, English Language Teaching, Special Education Teaching, Psychology, International Entrepreneurship, International Trade and Logistics, and Management Information Systems. Some of these programs have scholarship, fee-based, or discounted quotas for students holding TRNC citizenship.

Associate Degree Programs

The Northern Cyprus Campus also offers associate degree programs aimed at training technical personnel in the fields of technology and information, including Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Operator.

Ankara University of Social Sciences (Ankara University of Social Sciences)

International Activities

ASBÜ supports internationalization by providing students with exchange programs and international exposure opportunities.

• Exchange Programs: Students may study for one or two academic terms at European universities through the ERASMUS Coordination Office, at other Turkish universities through the FARABİ Coordination Office, and at international higher education institutions through the MEVLANA Coordination Office.

• Double Major and Minor Opportunities: Students who meet the criteria set by the Senate may earn a Double Major Diploma by completing another undergraduate program or obtain a Minor Certificate by taking elective courses from a cross-disciplinary pool.^【4】

Awards and Achievements

The university organizes academic award ceremonies to encourage scholarly and scientific work. Recognized achievements include internationally indexed publications and research projects.

• 2024 TÜBA Scientific Authorship Award (TESEP): Associate Professor Dr. Hicret Kiraz Toprak of the Department of Sociology of Religion at the Faculty of Theology won this award for her work Protest, Reaction, Purification: Religious Warning and Dissent.^【5】

• 2024 ASBÜ Academic Awards: Under the Academic Award Guidelines, Associate Professor Dr. Elem Eyrice Tepeciklioğlu, Head of the Regional Studies Department, received an award in the BKCI Book Category, and Assistant Professor Dr. Vuslat Nur Şahin Temel of the Asian Studies Department received an award in the SSCI-SCI-SCI-Exp Category.^【6】

• Accessible University Orange Flag Award (2024): This award, granted by the Higher Education Council, was conferred upon the College of Foreign Languages for its exemplary practices in ensuring access for persons with disabilities to physical spaces and educational opportunities.^【7】

• TEKNOFEST Action-Based Turkish Large Language Model Competition (Third Place): Under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr. Nevfel Boz from the Faculty of Communication, the team led by doctoral student Darmawan Wicaksono won third place in the Citizen AI Guide Project, which presents an artificial intelligence solution to simplify e-Government procedures.^【8】

Student Life

The central location of ASBÜ enables students to access housing alternatives such as dormitories operated by the Credit and Dormitories Institution (KYK) and private dormitories. The university organizes seminars, workshops, and social responsibility projects through various student clubs and communities to support students’ social, cultural, and professional development. Additionally, extracurricular programs are available to help students enhance their skills beyond the formal curriculum.^【9】