The Faculty of Letters is among the long-standing and substantial faculties of Istanbul University, whose foundation dates back to the Conquest of Istanbul by Sultan Mehmed II (Mehmed the Conqueror) in 1453. The Faculty was established to found a western-style university after the Tanzimat period. Accordingly, a modern university was founded and named Darülfünun. In 1863, the first courses of Darülfünun took place as public conferences in the completed parts of Italian architect Fossati's monumental building, which was under construction at the time. These courses on physics, chemistry, natural sciences, history, and geography were accessible to the public. After this first building in Sultanahmet, which is quite significant in terms of structure, was given to the Ministry of Finance in 1865, Darülfünun moved to Nuri Paşa Mansion in Çemberlitaş. However, when Nuri Paşa Mansion burned down due to fire in the neighborhood, the classes were indefinitely suspended. In the second opening under the name of Darûlfünûn-ı Osmanî, Darülfünun began its teaching journey with the new building in Çemberlitaş on 20 February 1870. Throughout this new era with a standardized program, the classes on literature, French language, history, geography, physics, mathematics, law, art, and logic were given to the students. Nevertheless, this second attempt, which continued for several years, was interrupted for various reasons. Finally, in 1900, the first western-style university was conclusively established under the name of Darûlfünûn-ı Şahane. As of this date within the university, the educational and research activities proceeded uninterruptedly in the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy, one of the three founding faculties. Faculty had its first graduates in 1902. The Faculty of Letters was also affected by the developments in the Second Constitutional Period, and some arrangements were made. The curriculum of Darülfünun was rearranged with an instruction issued in 1913. Additionally, a few changes were made to the training staff. During the War of Independence, educational activities continued under challenging conditions with a small number of students. In 1922, it was proposed to give honorary professorship to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk by the students of the Faculty of Letters and faculty member Yahya Kemal. With the University Reform carried out in 1933, Darülfünun was transformed into Istanbul University. After the reform, a four-year program for undergraduate degrees started to be implemented in the Faculty of Letters. Today, the Faculty of Letters continues its activities with 489 teaching staff, including 109 Professors, 72 Associate Professors, 118 Doctoral Faculty Members, 38 Lecturers, and 152 Research Assistants.

Our faculty continues its educational and research activities in 21 deparments and 8 research centers, and has its graduates from 39 programs. Faculty has earned a respectable place in society with its contributions to science and education, both nationally and internationally, with the scientists and students it has trained. The list of academic staff (with their titles and according to their department) is shown under the department and program sections.

Our mission is to study and develop humanity's world of language, thought, and culture with interdisciplinary cooperation and share the results with society.

Our vision is to become one of the world's exceptional education and science centers in Istanbul, where civilizations meet, while maintaining our traditional lead in our country's culture and education.

Double Major Program: Students may enroll in an undergraduate diploma program in the faculty to take a course from a second diploma program in the same university and receive a separate diploma from this program, provided that they meet the stipulated conditions. In other words, a student can graduate from two departments at the same time.

Minor Program: Students may enroll in a diploma program to receive a document (Minor Degree Certificate) that does not replace a diploma by taking a limited number of courses on a specific subject within the scope of another diploma program within the same university, provided that they meet the stipulated conditions.

Many programs of our faculty accept graduate students through the Institute of Social Sciences. Applications can be made twice in an academic year, in the Fall and Spring semesters. In Master's applications, the undergraduate GPA, ALES, YDS scores, and the interview score are evaluated together at different rates. In Doctorate applications, in addition to these documents, the Graduate GPA is included in the evaluation. In addition, there may be exceptional circumstances in the applications according to the departments, which is announced in the Application Guide published by the Institute of Social Sciences in each application period.

Faculty's E-Journal is digitally published each month. It contains all the monthly activities of our programs.
E-Journal

With its historical and cultural structure, teaching staff consisting of native and foreign academicians and the best experts in their fields, and the quality education, the Faculty of Letters stands out among others. Having a long history and functioning with a human-oriented education-teaching approach, our faculty has trained and continues to train thousands of students who carry the knowledge gained here to society and its contribution to social sciences with its expert academicians. Moreover, students preferring our faculty will contribute to our country and humanity in various professions based on expertise due to the scientific knowledge and method they acquire here.

International students who want to study in undergraduate programs of the Faculty of Letters must apply and pass the Examination for Foreign or Overseas Students (İÜYÖS) held by Istanbul University every year. All our programs have a quota for international students. Hosting hundreds of international students, our faculty also offers exchange programs such as Erasmus+, Farabi, and Mevlana in fixed terms.

The graduate admission process of the Master's and Doctorate programs within the Faculty of Letters is conducted by Istanbul University Institute of Social Sciences. International students must follow the instructions of the relevant graduate programs posted each Fall and Spring semesters. Several of our programs have a quota for international students. In this regard, applications only with Diploma Grade are accepted. Additionally, the quotas for internal transfer in graduate programs are announced each semester.

All active programs of our faculty post information on social media platforms and answer questions via e-mail. Please check the introduction page of the program in your interest.

Our Faculty's Social Media Accounts

twitter: @iuedebiyatf
instagram: @iu_edebiyatf
Youtube: İ.Ü Edebiyat Fakültesi

Students are regularly informed about the faculty's latest news and announcements and can quickly contact the faculty through these accounts.