It was established on July 9, 1997 by "Istanbul Marmara Education Foundation" (İMEV).
The institution has a broad scope of education starting from the elementary level to university.
Turkish is chosen as the medium of teaching, unlike many other private universities in Turkey, with the belief that an individual can best learn and perform in the mother tongue.
As of 2003 academic year, the university holds 300 teaching staff of which 205 are full-time.
The President's Office and administrative units are situated on this campus, which extends over an area of 100 hectares comprising faculty buildings, indoor/outdoor sports facilities, an olympic-size swimming pool and student social activities centers.