The Ala-Too International University was established as the International Atatürk-Alatoo University in 1996 by the Sebat Educational Foundation which promotes and follows the tenets of Islam espoused by
Fethullah Gülen. In the wake of the
2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, which the Turkish government blames on Gülen, the administration of Turkish president
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan demanded that Kyrgyzstan close down institutions affiliated with the
Gülen movement. However, the Kyrgyz government refused to comply with
Ankara's demands. In February 2017, the Turkish government announced that diplomas issued by the Ala-Too International University would no longer be valid in Turkey. Subsequently, the name of the university was changed from the International Atatürk-Alatoo University to the Ala-Too International University. The name of the organization that runs the Ala-Too International University along with 35 other schools and colleges was also changed from the Sebat Educational Foundation to the Sapat Educational Foundation.
Sapat means "quality" in
Kyrgyz. == Academics ==