The Education Support Programs Center, known by its acronym EDEP, is an institution established in 2014 within the TÜRGEV framework to provide supplementary education in Arabic, English, Islamic Studies, and Social Sciences to accomplished female university students. Since then, it has attracted significant interest from outstanding students at many of Istanbul’s distinguished universities, demonstrating that it fulfills an important need in the field of higher education in Turkey.
06 August 2019
The Education Support Programs Center, known as EDEP, was established in 2014 within the TÜRGEV framework to provide supplementary education in Arabic, English, Islamic Sciences, and Social Sciences to accomplished female university students. Since its inception, it has attracted significant interest from top students at many of Istanbul’s most prestigious universities, proving that it meets an important need in higher education in Turkey.
EDEP began its educational activities in the summer of 2014 at the historic Muhafız Konağı, located next to the Hırka-i Şerif Mosque. Due to high demand, the Üsküdar branch was opened at the start of the 2015–2016 academic year, allowing the institution to continue its work successfully. In the summer of 2015, EDEP launched its Specialization Program, admitting a select group of outstanding postgraduate students. These students, while pursuing their master’s and doctoral studies, also received advanced Islamic Sciences and Social Sciences education from leading scholars in their fields. At the same time, they began taking on roles at EDEP as researchers, assistants, advisors, and instructors. The Specialization Program continues to operate successfully as a researcher and academic training initiative.
Another notable achievement of EDEP is the International Advanced Islamic Studies Summer School, first held in the summer of 2015 and successfully continued each year since. This program has hosted master’s and doctoral students from leading universities around the world—from the United States to Japan. Participants, selected from many applicants, studied advanced classical texts in Islamic Sciences with prominent scholars. Through this initiative, EDEP has gained recognition in the international academic community.
The system, which prepares students to become academics by guiding them through a rigorous and rewarding educational process, has proven its effectiveness in both Eastern and Western contexts. Within the scope of academic work conducted in Turkey, the EDEP Honor Program stands out as the first academic initiative aimed specifically at training future female scholars (âlimahs).
Currently, EDEP offers an Honor Program for undergraduate students, a Specialization Program for master’s and doctoral students, an International Summer School for globally enrolled graduate students, and an Islamic Sciences Summer School for undergraduate students in Turkey. It provides students with the finest accommodation, an environment that supports all kinds of scholarly activities, and merit-based scholarships in recognition of their work.
Application link is available on the website:
www.edep.org.tr
