A European higher education accreditation agency has launched a review of İstanbul University’s business administration faculty over the controversial annulment of diplomas belonging to 28 graduates, including jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, Turkish Minute reported.
According to a report by the Halk TV news website, the Germany-based Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes (AQAS) opened a formal examination following a complaint filed by a group of academics who argued that the decision undermined academic independence and ethical standards.
The development comes as a separate inquiry by the US-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is already under way over the same issue.
The controversy stems from İstanbul University’s March 2025 decision to annul the diplomas of 28 people, including İmamoğlu, citing alleged irregularities in transfers made in 1990 from Girne American University in northern Cyprus to the university’s business administration program.
The decision has sparked intense criticism from opposition politicians and legal experts, who say the move was politically motivated.
AQAS is a Cologne-based nonprofit accreditation agency that evaluates undergraduate and graduate programs according to international academic standards and provides accreditation for universities in Germany and abroad. İstanbul University’s business administration faculty currently holds AQAS accreditation, which helps ensure the recognition of its degrees internationally, particularly in Europe.
According to the complaint submitted to the agency, the annulment decision may have damaged the faculty’s academic credibility and violated principles of academic neutrality. The application was initially under preliminary review in February and has now moved into a formal investigation phase as of March, according to Halk TV.
If accreditation bodies were to revoke recognition, the faculty’s international reputation and the perceived value of its degrees abroad could be seriously affected.
Journalist İsmail Saymaz, who previously reported on the complaint, said academics warned that such a scenario could significantly damage the university’s global standing.
“If these accreditations are revoked, the international credibility and reputation of the business faculty will be seriously harmed,” Saymaz said, adding that İstanbul University’s prestige could decline if multiple accreditation bodies reach such a conclusion.
The diploma controversy has attracted widespread attention because of its potential political consequences.
A university degree is a requirement for presidential candidates under Turkish law, making the outcome of the diploma case critical for İmamoğlu, who is widely seen as President Erdoğan’s strongest political rival ahead of the next national election.
İstanbul University annulled the diplomas on March 18, 2025, arguing that the transfer procedures were irregular and that the degrees were therefore void due to “nullity” and “clear error.”
In Turkish law “nullity” means that an act is considered never to have legally come into existence.
İmamoğlu has denied the allegations, saying the diploma was issued legally after review by the university and had been recognized by state institutions for decades.
“This is my diploma,” İmamoğlu told a court hearing in January. “It is an official state document issued by İstanbul University after review, investigation and assessment.”
In January the İstanbul 5th Administrative Court rejected İmamoğlu’s lawsuit challenging the annulment of his diploma. The ruling drew criticism from European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey Nacho Sánchez Amor, who described the case as “purely political” and said the Turkish judiciary appeared biased.
İmamoğlu was detained at his home on March 19 and later jailed in a separate corruption investigation that opposition parties say is politically motivated.
