Kayseri, which has a historical background dating back about 6 thousand years, is known as Makarr-ı Ulema, the city of scholars. The foundation of higher education in Kayseri was laid with Gevher Nesibe Şifahanesi and Madrasah established in 1206. Gevher Nesibe Healing Hospital and Madrasah, also known as the world's first medical faculty, was built by the Anatolian Seljuk ruler Gıyâseddin Keyhusrev I on behalf of his sister Gevher Nesibe Sultan, and the Healing Hospital and Madrasah served until 1890. In the Republican period, Gevher Nesibe Faculty of Medicine was opened in 1969 under Hacettepe University and Kayseri Faculty of Business Administration, established in 1977, and Kayseri University, established in 1978, were the first faculties of Kayseri University. The name of Kayseri University was changed to Erciyes University in 1982 by including Kayseri Higher Islamic Institute (today Erciyes University Faculty of Theology) established in 1965 and Kayseri State Architecture and Engineering Academy (today Erciyes University Faculty of Engineering) established in 1977. Founded in 2012 and converted into a faculty in 2018, the Faculty of Applied Sciences, which started education in 1975 and was affiliated to Erciyes University as Kayseri Vocational School in 1981, today's Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Safiye Çıkrıkçıoğlu Vocational School established in 1996, Mustafa Çıkrıkçıoğlu Vocational School established in 1997, Develi Hüseyin Şahin Vocational School established in 2003, Vocational School of Social Sciences established in 2003, Founded in 2006, Bünyan Vocational School, Tomarza Mustafa Akıncıoğlu Vocational School, founded in 2011, and Pınarbaşı Vocational School, founded in 2012, became the founding faculties and vocational schools of Kayseri University, which was separated from Erciyes University with the "Law on the Amendment of the Higher Education Law and Some Laws and Decree Laws" published in the Official Gazette dated 18 May 2018 and numbered 30425. With the addition of Develi Faculty of Islamic Sciences, Develi Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Design, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Design, and Yahyalı, Yeşilhisar and İncesu Vocational Schools to the relevant Law, the number of faculties increased to five and the number of vocational schools increased to twelve with the inclusion of the Faculty of Health Sciences established in 2020 and the Organised Industrial Zone Vocational School established in 2023 within Kayseri University, which was established in 2018 with four faculties and eleven vocational schools. Today, Kayseri University continues its activities as the second largest university of Kayseri city in terms of the number of students with five faculties, twelve vocational schools, one postgraduate education institute and twelve application and research centres.