Turkey is one of the leading countries in the world, with transition to higher education with enrollment ratio of 94% and is a country in very prestigious position with universities and academic organizations internationally.
At the same time, Turkey is a part of the European higher education system; It also has an important position in the Bologna Process, which is the common starting point of higher education institutions in European countries, and emerged as a need to restructure the field of higher education due to the rapid change in every field in the globalizing world.
Diplomas received from a university in Turkey, especially in Europe are recognized in many countries around the world. The ECTS system is applied as a course passing system in accordance with the USA and Europe. Turkey is one of the most successful countries participated in the exchange periods in the framework of Erasmus supporting students and teaching staff mobility.
Turkey is the country where you can learn Turkish, world's 5th most widely spoken language in the fields culture, education and trade the most accurate and rapid manner.
Higher Education in Numbers
203 Universities - 58000 Departments - 8 Million Students - 160.000 Foreign Students
Foreign Student Admissions
The only authorized institution with the student admissions process to Higher education in Turkey is Higher Education Council (http://www.yok.gov.tr/), and all universities are connected to this institution. In Turkey Universities take initiatives related to the terms under which the foreign student who wish to have undergraduate education will be accepted to the universities, and the contingents determined every year are placed on the website of the Higher Education Council and the universities' websites.
Candidates applying to universities in the secondary education in Turkey are required to have completed the equivalent of a high school in Turkey. Students are required to apply directly to the university of their choice and meet the acceptance criteria of the relevant university.
Some universities in Turkey organize YÖS for foreign students admission in the framework of themselves (Examination for Foreign Students) while some universities realize SAT exam (Scholastic Aptitude Test) results and the internationally recognized diplomas.
ACT (American College Testing), GCE-A Level (General Certificate Education), International Baccalaureate (IB-International Baccalaureate), ABITUR, French Baccalaureate, Gaokao, Syrian Baccalaureate (Al-Shahada-Al-Thanawiyya), Lebanon Baccalaureate (Baccalauréat Libanais), Tawjihi etc.
In foreign student applications, universities make placements by taking into account the students' exam or diploma / transcript scores, preference rankings, country contingents and age according to nationality.
Country contingent application is an application based on the acceptance of students of the same nationality who apply to universities for a maximum of 20% of the contingents of departments affiliated to a faculty or college in placements. While some universities can apply this rate between 10% and 30% differently, some universities do not implement this application during placement.
Types of Higher Education Institutions and Academic Units
Faculty: It is the unit where higher education, scientific research and publications are made. Various departments and programs can be within the faculty. Students get a bachelor's degree at the end of an education program that lasts at least four years.
Institute: It is the unit where postgraduate education is given in universities, scientific research and publication is carried out. Master's or doctoral degrees are offered in institutes.
Vocational School: It is an eight-semester unit that focuses on education and training for a specific profession.
Conservatory: It is an eight-semester unit where artists are trained in music and performing arts.
Post-Secondary Vocational School: It is a unit that aims to train qualified manpower for certain professions and at the end of four semesters of education, an associate degree is given.
Research and Application Center: It is the unit where education, practice and research are carried out for the application of various fields and the preparation and support activities of some professions in order to support education in higher education institutions.
Academic Degrees
Associate Degree: The degree given after the two-year education program is completed. Associate degree programs may require on-the-job training for a while.
Bachelor: It is given after a four-year and 240 ECTS training is completed. Training period is five years for Dentistry, Veterinary and Pharmacy and six years for Medicine. Qualifications gotten in these four areas are considered equivalent to a master's degree.
Master degree: It is a two-year program that offers either a Social Sciences (MA) or a Science (MS) degree. There are two types of Master's Programs, thesis and non- thesis. The master's program with thesis is a two-year program that usually consists of courses with a minimum of 120 ECTS credits followed by a thesis submission. Non-thesis programs are programs that are completed in one or a half years and include the completion of at least 90 credits of courses and a term project.
Doctorate: It is a program that usually consists of eight semesters, where a PhD degree is awarded. Courses of 180-240 ECTS credits include a qualifying exam, a thesis presentation, and an oral defense of the thesis. After successfully completing their courses and the qualifying exam, students must first present their thesis to a thesis committee and defend it orally.
Medical Specialization: Equivalent to doctoral programs and is conducted in medical schools, university hospitals, and research and teaching hospitals. For medical specialization, there is a competitive selection examination in various medical majors for graduates of medical schools. Expert candidates must present a thesis and before a review committee and defend it. In addition, a certain level of foreign language knowledge is sought.
Proficiency in Art: It is a master's program of at least six semesters in visual arts and performing arts branches and is equivalent to a doctorate. It requires the presentation of an original work of art or a superior, creative performance (in music and performing arts).
Scholarships
For students who want to study via a scholarship in Turkey There are scholarship programs provided by Turkey Scholarships (https://turkiyeburslari.gov.tr/), Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (https://www.ytb.gov.tr/) and the Higher Education Board (YÖK ) (https://www.yok.gov.tr/)
Turkey Scholarship is a higher education scholarship program for international students applied to all levels in all institutions of higher education in Turkey. Students selected after the online applications are placed in the relevant higher education institutions by YÖK. Students on Turkey scholarships will receive monthly scholarships and bursars can stay at in the dormitories of state universities in the country for free. Students also do not pay for tuition or other school expenses and they have public health insurance. Moreover, For students on Turkey scholarships transportation fee for the first arrival and returning after graduation are paid.
YÖK Scholarships are designed for international students at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels in countries that have signed a protocol with the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). These programs are higher education programs with Turkey if the students have placed in the Turkish language preparation is offered for students a year if these students who were placed to the Turkish higher education programs by these programs do not have Turkish Proficiency Certificate.
There are different scholarship types as scholarships provided by the Republic of Turkey authorities, scholarships provided by the hometowns of the students, scholarships given by national and international institutions and organizations and scholarships of the universities. The opportunities and amounts offered by the scholarship institutions vary. Some of these institutions serve the transportation costs for from other countries to Turkey. The amount of scholarships per month varies according to the education level, knowledge and skills of foreign students.
Scholarships with different contents are also given to a certain percentage of accepted students in both state and foundation universities. These scholarships can be full or partial tuition fee scholarships, merit scholarships or support scholarships. Some of these scholarships can cover academic materials, accommodation, food and beverage expenses, and special needs.
Tuition Fees
Fees (expenses) are applied differently in state universities and foundation (private) universities. In state universities, fees are determined by the Council of Higher Education and the Presidency considering the type and duration of studies in different disciplines, while at foundation universities, fees are determined by the universities' administrations.
Students are obliged to pay the tuition fees for each semester before registering for the semester at the beginning of the semester. University tuition fees can be found on their official website.
Visa Procedures
For students who will come to Turkey in order to study in Turkey, student visa processing lasts for a long time that is why the should apply to Overseas representative offices of Turkey in their countries after receiving the acceptance letter from the university.
You can find the visa regime that Turkey Republic implemented to your home country Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa
To Pre-applications for visa are made online and you can visit the website: https://www.konsolosluk.gov.tr
Residence Permit Procedures
After students complete their university registrations and come to Turkey they should fill in the application form in the website: https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/ and get an appointment with this application form in the provincial directorate of migration management for applying for residence permit for education.
Students will be able to take all the official actions during their stay in Turkey by the residence permit as a result of residency applications and foreign identification number registered in the Immigration Administration system. Provided that residence permits did not expire, they can be used for coming and leaving Turkey and and there will not be need for getting visa again.
Most campus universities in Turkey offer a variety of accommodations, or other options. Apart from the university dormitories, dormitories affiliated with the State-owned Higher Education Credit Dormitories Institution (http://www.kyk.gov.tr/kyk/harita/index.html) and dormitories belonging to private institutions also serve all students. Most of the dormitories have kitchens for students to cook their own meals, and there are also small cafeterias that serve until late hours. Dormitories are divided by gender in Turkey and offer both private and shared rooms. At the same time, the dormitories offer students many options to participate in on-campus and off-campus activities and to meet many other students.
In addition, there are rental houses shared with other international or Turkish students in all the cities where the universities are located. These houses consist of buildings allocated to students in the form of apart houses, and sometimes houses that students rent individually. The prices of the houses vary according to their cities, their proximity to the city center or their location.
