Firat University is one of the biggest academical institutions in the East of Turkey, established in 1975 in Elazig. It has eleven faculties, three institutes, two highs schools, one state conservatory and six vocational high schools. As of 2011 there were 1,473 academic staff members, 1,143 administrative staff, and over 20.176 students. Fırat University has a Youth and Sports Club, Aviation Club, Theatre Branch, Folk Dances Group, Mountaineering Branch, and many other social, cultural, scientific and sports clubs. An objective of the University is to develop international links{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}. Since 2006, when Firat University signed its first institutional contract within the Erasmus Programme for student exchange, 1813 students and 415 teaching staff have visited EU countries, and the University has received 374 students for one or two semesters. For the 2011 academic year th University has bilateral agreements with 183 universities in 15 European countries. The majority of accommodation is within walking distance of the campus. There is mass housing, including 304 flats for academic and administrative staff, and private dormitories for students.