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Higher education in Türkiye takes place at two main levels: undergraduate and postgraduate. Universities generally offer four-year undergraduate programs. A master's degree is usually 2 years long. There are many public and foundation universities in Türkiye. For example, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul Technical University, Hacettepe University. Among the faculties, there are programs in various fields such as engineering, medicine, humanities, social sciences, business, law.
You usually need a high school diploma to apply for undergraduate programs. A bachelor's degree is required for a master's degree. Some programs and universities may expect a certain GPA in a certain score type.
Many programs at Turkish universities are offered in Turkish. However, there are also programs in English, especially in big cities and some private universities. The official websites of universities and official institutions such as the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) offer a wide range of information sources.
Public universities in Türkiye may offer scholarships to successful students. These scholarships can often be based on GPA and socio-economic status.
Many foundation and private universities offer scholarships to students. These scholarships can often be merit, talent or need-based.
Türkiye is rarely the first country an international student considers, and that is largely a matter of unfamiliarity rather than merit. The country hosts several universities that compete credibly with Western European institutions, teaches a great deal of its curriculum in English, and does so at a fraction of Western European or North American cost. For students who want a strong degree without the debt that increasingly accompanies one, it deserves a serious look.
The leading institutions divide into two groups. The historic state universities — Boğaziçi in İstanbul, Middle East Technical University in Ankara, İstanbul Technical University, Hacettepe and Ege — are highly selective, English-medium in large part, and produce graduates who go on to doctoral programmes worldwide. The private foundation universities — Koç, Sabancı, Bilkent, Özyeğin and Bahçeşehir — are newer, smaller, generously funded, and built deliberately on the American liberal arts and research model, with English as the language of instruction throughout.
Turkish school leavers compete for places through the national YKS examination. International applicants do not. Instead you apply directly to each university, which assesses your secondary school diploma and grades against its own criteria. Most leading universities accept SAT, ACT, International Baccalaureate, A Level or Abitur results directly, and a strong SAT or IB score is frequently the cleanest route into a competitive programme.
The alternative is the YÖS examination, set individually by each university, which tests mathematics and abstract reasoning rather than knowledge of Turkish. A high YÖS result can secure both admission and, at several institutions, a tuition scholarship. Which route serves you better depends on your existing qualifications, and it is one of the first things we assess.
Türkiye's foundation universities compete for strong students with unusually generous merit scholarships — partial to full tuition, sometimes extended to accommodation and a monthly stipend. Koç, Sabancı, Bilkent and Özyeğin all run substantial programmes, and a student with a high SAT or IB score is in a strong negotiating position.
Separately, the government-funded Türkiye Bursları scheme covers tuition, accommodation, health insurance, Turkish language training and a monthly stipend for international students admitted through it. It is competitive and its application window is narrow, which makes early planning essential rather than advisable.
English-medium programmes require proof of English — usually an internal proficiency examination, IELTS or TOEFL — and students who fall short spend a preparatory year improving it before starting the degree. Turkish is not required for study at these institutions, though it transforms daily life and internship access.
Türkiye participates in the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area, so degrees carry ECTS credits and are recognised across Europe. Graduates of the leading universities move routinely into master's and doctoral programmes in the United States and Europe, and Erasmus exchange networks are extensive.
İstanbul offers the deepest internship and graduate market, particularly in finance, technology and the creative industries; Ankara, İzmir and Eskişehir are considerably cheaper and, for many students, easier places to concentrate.
To assess which Turkish universities fit your profile and which scholarships you are competitive for, our advisors offer a free initial consultation. See our study abroad consultancy services or our United States and United Kingdom pages for comparison.
What international students ask us most about studying in Türkiye
Yes. Boğaziçi University, Middle East Technical University, Koç, Sabancı, Bilkent and Özyeğin teach entirely or predominantly in English, and many other universities run English-medium programmes in engineering, business, medicine and international relations. Students without sufficient English are placed in a one-year preparatory programme before starting the degree.
International applicants apply directly to each university rather than through the national YKS placement examination used by Turkish school leavers. Universities assess your secondary school diploma and grades, and many accept SAT, ACT, International Baccalaureate, A Level or Abitur results directly. Some also run their own YÖS entrance examination.
YÖS is the examination for international students, testing mathematics and abstract reasoning rather than subject knowledge in Turkish. Individual universities set and score their own YÖS, and a strong result can secure admission and, at several institutions, a tuition scholarship. Students holding SAT or IB results can often apply without sitting it at all.
Substantially so. Private foundation universities such as Koç, Sabancı, Bilkent and Özyeğin operate extensive merit scholarship programmes covering partial to full tuition, sometimes with accommodation and a stipend. The government-funded Türkiye Bursları programme covers tuition, accommodation, health insurance and a monthly stipend for successful international applicants.
State universities charge modest fees for international students, and even the leading private foundation universities cost considerably less than comparable institutions in Western Europe or North America. Living costs in Ankara, İzmir and Eskişehir are lower than in İstanbul, though İstanbul offers the deepest internship market.
Türkiye is a signatory to the Bologna Process and participates in the European Higher Education Area, so degrees carry ECTS credits and are recognised across Europe. Graduates of Boğaziçi, METU, Koç, Sabancı and Bilkent are routinely admitted to graduate programmes in the United States and Europe, and these universities maintain wide Erasmus and exchange networks.
