Erciyes University was established in 1978 under the name Kayseri University when Gevher Nesibe Faculty of Medicine, an affiliate of Hacettepe, and Kayseri Faculty of Business merged. As the university added new faculties, it adopted the name Erciyes University as a result of its proximity to Mt Erciyes, an enormous stratovolcano in central Turkey.
The university’s main campus is located close to the Kayseri city centre and is comprised of 18 faculties, 10 colleges (six of which are vocational colleges), seven institutes and six hospitals. There are two other campuses at Erciyes University: Seyrani Campus, which is 6km south of Mt. Erciyes, and Tomarza Campus, which hosts just one vocational college.
The university’s focus on education and health, among other disciplines, aim to provide for the needs of the local community. By national standards, Erciyes University is considered one of the more developed higher education institutions in Turkey, making it a source of pride for the city of Kayseri.
Erciyes University's research hospital contains more that 1,500 beds, and also serves as a general hospital known as Gevher Nesibe Hospital. The facility also has a specialist heart and vascular diseases hospital, organ transplant and dialysis facilities, an oncology hospital, a children's hospital and a bone marrow transplantation and stem cell therapy Center.
Among Erciyes University Alumni are several international Turkish athletes including runner Dudu Karakaya, former Taekwondo competitor Zeynep Murat, long-distance runner Ercan Muslu and footballer Kemal Okyay.
