The academic cooperation between Bahçeşehir University School of Law and the University of Kansas School of Law continued in the summer of 2026 with a joint education programme in Istanbul. As part of the Istanbul Programme, BAU and University of Kansas law students met in the same classroom, while University of Greenwich students interning in Istanbul also participated in the programme. The three-week training offered the opportunity to compare different legal systems in the same classroom environment.

Scheduled for 13 July–1 August 2026, the programme was conducted in English. Classes were taught by academics from Bahçeşehir University School of Law and the University of Kansas School of Law. According to University of Kansas programme information, completing KU students can earn three law credits. BAU students participate in the programme on a voluntary basis.

The academic content of the programme was shaped around three different courses. Prof. Dr. Feridun Yenisey covered transnational criminal procedure topics in his Transnational Criminal Procedure course. Prof. Stephen Ware from the University of Kansas School of Law conducted the Transnational Dispute Resolution course, which covers arbitration, mediation, settlement negotiations, and cross-border dispute resolution. Prof. Stephen McAllister examined the constitutional structures of different countries from a comparative perspective as part of the Constitutions of the World course.

The presence of students from different countries in the same classroom took the comparative law dimension of the programme beyond the course content. Prof. Dr. Feridun Yenisey stated that US students had the opportunity to get to know Turkish law closely, while Turkish students were able to compare US law with their own legal system. Pointing out the importance of getting to know the legal structures and cultures of different countries for law students, Yenisey expressed that they value such educational programmes in terms of students gaining international experience.

Prof. Stephen Ware also stated that students worked together on group assignments and this interaction contributed to the establishment of professional relationships, while Prof. Stephen McAllister emphasised that discussing different legal systems in the same classroom offered students a different perspective from what they could obtain in their home countries. BAU Faculty of Law Dean Prof. Kadir Emre Gökyayla also drew attention to the aspect of the programme that provides students with different perspectives.

The relationship between BAU and the University of Kansas is not limited to the summer programme in Istanbul. A separate academic agreement between the two universities also offers BAU Law students who meet the necessary conditions the opportunity to pursue an LLM education at the University of Kansas and earn a second degree alongside their undergraduate studies.

The Istanbul Programme brings law education together in the same classroom with the legal systems, academics, and students of different countries. In this way, comparative law ceases to be merely a subject studied in lectures and turns into an international learning environment directly experienced by students.