The Institute hosts four main departments: EU Law, EU Politics and International Relations, EU Economics and Business, and Political Communication in Europe. In 2006, the Institute was awarded the title of Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence by the European Commission. The European Union Documentation Centre within our Institute continued its activities until 2011, and the European Union Information Centre, which started operating in September 2012, remained active until 2016.

In addition, the Turkey-Germany Relations Application and Research Centre, which has been operating since 2009 within the Institute of European Studies, is one of the first institutions in this field in Turkey.

More than 50 foreign academics have given lectures and seminars at the Institute since its establishment. Among these academics are such distinguished names as Prof. Dr. Dominik Lasok, who  is considered as one of the pioneers of the field of European law, Former Honorary Secretary General of the Commission of the European Communities and Former Rector of the European University Institute in Florence Emile Noël, Former Press Spokesperson of the European Parliament Dr. Guy Vanhaeverbeke. The Institute also cooperates closely with TEPSA (Trans European Policy Studies Association) located in Brussels.

The activities of the Turkish University Association for European Community Studies (TUNAECS), the Turkish branch of the International European Community Studies Association (ECSA) headquartered in Brussels, are also performed by the European Studies Institute. The Institute, which has undertaken many projects and publications, is currently carrying out various projects and publishes the Marmara Journal of European Studies, the first regular academic publication in its field, in addition to various books.

Our Institute provides education in Turkish and English in the Master's and Doctorate Programs in the Departments of EU Law, EU Politics and International Relations, EU Economics, Political Communication in Europe. There are programs in Turkish, French and English in the Department of Political Communication in Europe. Having a master's degree is a prerequisite to be accepted to the Doctorate programs. The regular duration to complete the Master's Programs is 4 semesters, which can be extended to a maximum of  6 semesters. The regular duration to complete the Doctorate Programs is 8 semesters, which can be extended to a maximum of 12 semesters. Students are admitted to our Institute's programs only at the beginning of the fall semester.