Kadir Has University (KHU) or as mostly preferred by its students (KHAS), was founded in 1997, in Istanbul. A private university, it has seven faculties, Engineering, Sciences and Humanities, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Communication, Law and Fine Arts, as well as its several vocational schools, and is dedicated to becoming a leader in educational and cultural fields in Turkey, as well as establishing itself as an international center for research and scientific development. Prof. Mustafa Aydın is the rector of the university.

The university was founded by the Kadir Has Charity Foundation, established by the late industrialist and philanthropist Kadir Has.

The university's central campus is located at Cibali Istanbul, on the Golden Horn. The building was actually a tobacco factory, erected in 1884 and used for nearly seventy years by TEKEL the state tobacco producers. It then fell in disrepair due to the lack of maintenance and eventually was abandoned. It wasn't until the late 90's when the Kadir Has Foundation came up with the idea to turn this desolated factory building into a university, taking a twenty-nine year lease from Tekel in 1997. After four years of restoration, the university was officially opened in 30th of December 2002. The building has over 35.000m² of indoor space plus grounds.