Kilis 7 Aralık University was established by Law No. 5662, published in the Official Gazette No. 26536 on May 29, 2007, and possesses a strong academic heritage stretching back much further than its founding. A significant portion of the university's current units have been shaped over time by the addition of vocational schools and faculties that began operating in different
years. The establishment of the Vocational School in 1987, the Yusuf Şerefoğlu School of Health in 1997, the Muallim Rıfat Faculty of Education in 1998, and the Faculty of Science and Letters in 2003 marked the beginning of the development of higher education in the region; and with the establishment of the university in 2007, the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, the Vocational School of Health Services, and the Institutes of Science and Social Sciences were added. The university's academic diversity further increased with the opening of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture and the School of Physical Education and Sports in 2010; the Faculty of Theology and the Institute of Health Sciences in 2012; and the Faculty of Agriculture in 2013. In 2017, the Vocational Schools of Tourism and Hotel Management, Social Sciences, and Technical Sciences were established; and in 2018, the Yusuf Şerefoğlu Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Applied Sciences, and the School of Foreign Languages were founded. The year 2023 was a period that reinforced the university's growth momentum; the Faculty of Communication, the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, and the Alaeddin Yavaşca State Conservatory were added to the institution. Today, Kilis 7 Aralık University continues its educational activities across a wide academic spectrum with 12 faculties, 1 school of foreign languages, 4 vocational schools, 1 graduate school, and 1 conservatory. Serving in three separate campuses – the Central Campus, Karataş Campus, and Mercidabık Campus – the university has approximately 15,000 students studying at associate, undergraduate, and graduate levels; the number of academic staff is approaching 500. With its academic units, application and research centers, social and cultural activity areas, extensive libraries, congress and meeting halls, green campus structure, accommodation and transportation facilities, Kilis 7 Aralık University continues to strengthen its presence as one of the developing and preferred higher education institutions in the region.