Founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey November 1, 1937 legislative year in the history of the Grand National Assembly in eastern Anatolia in the opening speech by expressing the necessity of establishing a large university, work in this regard had given instructions to start. On November 1, 1950, it was brought to the agenda again by the 3rd President Celal Bayar in the speech of the opening of the Grand National Assembly. Upon this warning, the 2nd Menderes Government included the subject in its program and asked the university offices of the Ministry of National Education to establish a Scientific Commission by sending a letter to the university presidencies with the date of 11.6.1951 and number XIV / 5366 on the subject of “bringing a higher education and cultural center to the body in the eastern provinces”. After that,

In the end, the delegation made its decision and the establishment of a university in Erzurum was started by taking into consideration the report prepared by the delegation. The Draft Law on the Establishment of the East University was enacted on 25.2.1953 with the number 6059. After a while the foundation of the university was decided with the Law No. 6373 dated 10.3.1954 and named “Atatürk University”. This committee worked for three years between 1955 and 1957, and prepared the draft Law on the University. This draft law was enacted in the Grand National Assembly with the number 6990 on 31.5.1957 and was published in the Official Gazette and entered into force on 7.6.1957.

Thus, Atatürk University was officially established on June 7, 1957.