Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University

What Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University does

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU) is a private foundation university in Istanbul, Turkey, established and operated by İlim Yayma Vakfı (Knowledge Propagation Foundation). The institution delivers higher education across 8 faculties, a Graduate Education Institute, and a Language School, offering 41 undergraduate programs, 99 graduate programs, and 16 specialized research and application centers. Total enrollment stands at 8,598 students served by 516 academic personnel. The university's distinctive positioning includes a trilingual educational model (Turkish, English, Arabic) with exposure to seven languages, ABET-accredited engineering programs, and a niche specialization in Islamic economics and finance anchored by dedicated centers such as ISEFAM and the Tasavvuf Research Center. It is named after Prof. Dr. Sabahattin Zaim, a prominent Turkish economist, which confers brand authority in the Islamic economics domain.

IZU's core academic delivery is supported by an institutional technology stack comprising a Campus Information System (Kampüs Bilgi Sistemi), an Academic Portal learning management system, and the İZÜZEM distance education platform. Library services are anchored by an extensive portfolio of subscribed databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, IEEE, EBSCOhost, JSTOR, ProQuest, PubMed), and an open-access institutional repository (DSpace@IZU). The university has developed AIRISTO, a domestically built AI content-detection tool claimed at up to 95% accuracy for Turkish and English text, and AYEUM, a research-methods training platform positioned as Turkey's first dedicated offering of its kind.

The university's business model is anchored in tuition revenue from undergraduate and graduate programs, with diversified income streams including international student tuition, professional development courses via İZÜ-SEM, Turkish language instruction via İZÜ TÖMER, and ancillary services such as the İZÜ TOEFL Test Center. Pricing follows a subscription model with annual billing, augmented by an extensive scholarship and discount framework (preference discounts, ranking scholarships, memorization scholarships, sports/arts scholarships, sibling/spouse discounts, martyr/veteran discounts, and staff/family discounts). Customer acquisition runs through Turkey's national YKS placement system, DGS vertical transfer examinations, direct international recruitment, and Erasmus+ exchanges, supplemented by high-school counselor engagement programs and education fairs. There is no disclosed external equity investment; the institution is fully owned and governed by its founding foundation.

Name

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University

Legal name

İstanbul Sabahattin Zaim Üniversitesi

Website

https://izu.edu.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University is a private foundation university in Istanbul, Turkey, serving 8,598 students across 8 faculties with 41 undergraduate and 99 graduate programs, generating revenue primarily from tuition, continuing education, and Turkish-language instruction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL), Islamic Colleges & Sharia/Fiqh Institutes (EDAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate education programs
• Distance learning platforms
• Continuing education training

Headquarters

HQ city

Küçükçekmece

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition fees, with various scholarship and discount programs including preference discounts, academic achievement scholarships, sports scholarships, and staff/family discounts.
2. International Student Tuition: Revenue from international students paying tuition fees with dedicated international student recruitment and support services.
3. Continuing Education (İZÜ-SEM): Revenue from professional development courses and training programs offered through the Continuous Education Application Center.
4. Turkish Language Education (İZÜ TÖMER): Revenue from Turkish language teaching services for international students and foreign nationals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University is a private foundation university delivering undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education across 8 faculties and 41 undergraduate and 99 graduate programs. It operates complementary education centers including İZÜ-SEM (continuing education), İZÜ TÖMER (Turkish language), and İZÜZEM (distance education), supported by 16 research centers and an academic library with international database subscriptions.

Product overview

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (İZÜ) is a private university offering a comprehensive educational ecosystem across 8 faculties and a Graduate Education Institute, with 41 undergraduate and 99 graduate programs. The university's product portfolio centers on its core educational offerings enhanced by specialized service units: İZÜ-SEM (Continuing Education Center), İZÜ TÖMER (Turkish Language Center), and İZÜZEM (Distance Education Center) provide supplementary learning pathways. The university operates İZÜ Kütüphane (Library) with extensive database subscriptions (EBSCO, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, ProQuest), the İZÜ Kurumsal Akademik Arşiv institutional repository (DSpace@IZU), and innovative tools like AIRISTO (AI content detection) and AYEUM (Research Methods Training Platform). Infrastructure includes Kampüs Bilgi Sistemi (Campus Information System), Akademik Portal (LMS), and technology transfer capabilities through ZaimTeknopark and TTO.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• İZÜ-SEM (Sürekli Eğitim Merkezi): Continuous Education Center providing professional development and training programs
• İZÜ TÖMER
• İZÜZEM
• ZaimTeknopark
• İZÜ TOEFL Test Merkezi

Quantifiable outcome

• ABET accreditation achieved for 3 engineering programs including Computer Engineering and Electrical-Electronics Engineering
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration23 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Erasmus+ Partner UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational university partnerships under the Erasmus+ program enabling student and staff mobility, exchange programs, and academic collaborations with universities across Europe and beyond.
• İlim Yayma Vakfı (İlim Yayma Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding foundation providing student dormitories, scholarships, and ongoing institutional support. The foundation operates Vefa İlim Yayma Mezunları Derneği (alumni association) for continued community engagement.
• YÖK (Higher Education Council of Turkey)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory partnership with Turkey's higher education governing body for accreditation, program approval, and academic standards compliance.
• TÜBİTAK ULAKBİMmoderateTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Turkey's scientific and technological research council for database access (ULAKBİM databases), research support, and academic infrastructure services including EKUAL consortium access.
• Syria Awqaf MinistryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration and training programs with Syria's Ministry of Endowments (Evkaf), including religious education exchanges.
• Tajikistan DelegationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation finance training programs for Tajikistan government officials, strengthening economic cooperation and financial integration between Tajikistan and Turkey.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi: Istanbul-based private foundation university with comparable scale (15K+ students), similar focus on health sciences and multidisciplinary programs, and a comparable GTM through YKS placement and international recruitment; competes directly for the same domestic and international student pools.
• Sabancı Üniversitesi: Istanbul-based private foundation research university with strong engineering and graduate programs; competes for high-achieving Turkish students, faculty, and research partnerships, and operates on a similar tuition + endowment-driven model.
• Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi: Large Istanbul-based private foundation university with strong international student recruitment, English-medium programs, and a comparable tuition-driven model; directly competes for YKS-placement students and international enrollees.
• Koç Üniversitesi: Top-tier Istanbul private foundation research university with comparable tuition-driven economics, international partnerships, and graduate programs; competes on prestige, employer brand, and engineering/business student demand.
• Mardin Artuklu Üniversitesi: Turkish public university with a strong Islamic sciences and Arabic-language faculty; competes for students interested in Islamic studies and Arabic-medium programs at much lower tuition, putting price pressure on İZÜ's Islamic Sciences offerings.
• İstanbul 29 Mayıs Üniversitesi: Istanbul private foundation university with explicit Islamic orientation and similar trilingual/Arabic-medium positioning; closest direct competitor in the niche İZÜ occupies for Islamic sciences and Arabic-track students.
• Özyeğin Üniversitesi: Istanbul private foundation university with strong engineering and entrepreneurship focus, including an on-campus technopark similar to ZaimTeknopark; competes for engineering students and tech transfer partnerships.
• İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi: Istanbul-based private foundation university with comparable scale, English-medium programs, and a similar tuition-driven model; competes for international students and the same YKS-placement pool.

Broad incumbents

• Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi: Major public Istanbul technical university with comparable engineering programs and broader scale; competes on price (near-free tuition) for engineering students, including those İZÜ attracts via ABET-accredited programs.
• İstanbul Üniversitesi: Historic large public Istanbul university covering most of İZÜ's faculties; competes on price and brand recognition across law, business, humanities, and Islamic sciences, anchoring the upper bound of the public alternative for the same students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zaimuniv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/izuniversite
• Facebookfacebook.com/179106732295794
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/istanbul-sabahattin-zaim-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/zaimuniv

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University