Study Abroad
Studying in Türkiye as an International Student: What to Know Before You Apply
Türkiye sits at the intersection of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and for international students it occupies a similarly unusual position in global higher education. It already hosts roughly 350,000 international students, making it the sixth largest destination in the world by that measure, and the government has set a formal target of 500,000 by 2028. Among students from the Middle East and North Africa in particular, it has become the single most popular destination for study abroad. Those are not small numbers, and they did not happen by accident.
Yet for every student who arrives well-prepared, there is another who applies without understanding the admission routes, underestimates the language question, or misses a scholarship opportunity they were fully eligible for. This guide is designed to close that gap. It covers what the system actually looks like, which exam you probably need to sit, what the language question really means in practice, and what to sort out after you land.
Details throughout this article were checked against official sources in September 2026. Requirements can and do change, and you must confirm everything directly with your target universities before you apply.
Why Türkiye? The Honest Case
Before getting into mechanics, it is worth being clear about what draws students here and what does not quite live up to the brochure.
The genuine strengths are real. Türkiye has a large university sector with institutions that appear in international rankings across engineering, medicine, architecture, social sciences and the arts. The country's geography makes it accessible from South Asia, Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab world in a way that the UK, Australia or the United States simply are not. Cultural and religious familiarity matters to many students from Muslim-majority countries, and Türkiye offers that. Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir are large, internationally connected cities with established international student communities.
The honest caveats are also worth stating. The higher education sector is uneven: some institutions are genuinely strong, others are building their reputations. Quality varies between departments at the same university. English-language provision exists but is more limited than in the UK, Canada or Australia, so your programme choices narrow if your Turkish is not advanced. And the administrative side, from applications to residence permits, requires patience and careful attention to detail.
If you go in with clear eyes, Türkiye can be an excellent choice. If you go in expecting it to be frictionless, you may be disappointed.
The University Landscape: Public and Foundation
The first distinction to understand is between public universities and foundation (private) universities, because they follow different admission rules.
Public universities are state-funded and typically charge lower fees than private alternatives, though you should check current tuition directly with each institution. Admission to public universities for international students is governed by national-level rules set out by ÖSYM (the Student Selection and Placement Centre) and interpreted by each university's own senate.
Foundation universities are private, established with foundation capital, and they set their own admissions criteria independently. Many have developed significant international student programmes and English-language curricula. Some are among the most internationally recognised institutions in the country. Their admission processes vary considerably, and many run their own entrance examinations in addition to or instead of national tests.
When you research programmes, always check the category of the university you are looking at. The admission path for a public technical university and the admission path for a private foundation university may look completely different.
How You Actually Get In: Admission Routes for Public Universities
This is where many students lose time and energy by not reading carefully. According to the official ÖSYM guidance for 2026, public universities may accept international applicants through one or more of the following routes:
TR-YÖS -- the national exam for international students, administered by ÖSYM and the primary route for most applicants from outside Türkiye.
Secondary school grades -- your final school results, without any external exam. Not all programmes or universities accept this route.
The national exam of your own country -- for example, the Gaokao, the Baccalaureate Nationale, the WAEC or equivalent national qualification. Again, acceptance depends on the specific university and faculty.
International qualifications -- including the SAT, the German Abitur, the International Baccalaureate and certain others.
Here is the critical point: each university's senate decides which of these routes it will accept, and the combinations vary. One university may accept TR-YÖS scores only. Another may accept TR-YÖS or SAT. A third may accept secondary school grades from certain countries but not others. There is no single universal rule that applies everywhere.
This means your research process must be institution-specific. Do not assume that because one university accepts your qualification, another will too.
There is also one important exception: if you completed your secondary education at a Turkish high school, you are required to take the national YKS examination instead of TR-YÖS. The YKS is the exam sat by Turkish citizens and residents, and it follows a different format and scoring system.
TR-YÖS: The Exam Most International Students Need
For the majority of international applicants to public universities, TR-YÖS is the central exam to plan around. It is worth understanding what it actually is.
TR-YÖS stands for Türkiye Yükseköğretim Kurumları Sınavı for international students. It is administered by ÖSYM, the same body that runs the national university entrance exams for Turkish citizens. The exam consists of 80 questions to be answered in 100 minutes. The content covers quantitative reasoning and analytical thinking rather than subject-specific knowledge, which means it is designed to be sat by students from different national curricula without disadvantaging any group.
The exam is held twice a year. Scores are valid for two years, so you do not need to retake it every cycle if your result is strong. Crucially, ÖSYM runs the exam not only in Türkiye but in a range of international locations. As of 2026, overseas centres include New Delhi, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Dhaka, Cairo, Baku, Tashkent and Almaty, among others. If you are based in South Asia, Central Asia or North Africa, you may be able to sit the exam without travelling to Türkiye first.
You can read a detailed breakdown of the exam format and what to expect on our TR-YÖS guide, and work through sample questions on our TR-YÖS practice tool.
One practical note: exam dates, registration windows and available international venues can change between cycles. Always confirm the current schedule directly on the ÖSYM website rather than relying on third-party sources, including this one.
The Language Question: Turkish or English?
This is the issue that catches the most students off guard, and it deserves a direct answer.
Programmes at Turkish universities are delivered in one of two languages: Turkish or English. Some universities also offer programmes in Arabic, German, French or other languages, but Turkish and English are the dominant options for international students.
Turkish-taught programmes are the majority. They cover a wider range of subjects, are offered at more institutions, and in many cases lead to stronger integration with the local professional market after graduation. If you want to study in Turkish, you will need to demonstrate language proficiency, typically through a recognised Turkish language test such as TÖMER. Many students who arrive without sufficient Turkish complete a preparatory year of language study (hazırlık) before beginning their degree, which extends their time in Türkiye by one year but is a legitimate and well-trodden path.
English-taught programmes are available at a growing number of institutions, particularly foundation universities and some of the larger public universities. If you choose this route, you will need to demonstrate English proficiency through a recognised qualification such as IELTS, TOEFL or equivalent. The range of English-taught options is more limited than in the UK, Australia or Canada, so if English-medium instruction is a hard requirement for you, you need to verify availability for your specific subject before you apply rather than assuming it exists.
The practical advice here is simple: decide early whether you are aiming for Turkish or English-taught study, and let that decision shape which institutions and programmes you target. Trying to hedge between the two typically wastes application energy.
Türkiye Scholarships: What the Government Offers
The Turkish government runs a competitive scholarship programme for international students known as Türkiye Bursları (Türkiye Scholarships). This programme supports selected students across undergraduate, postgraduate and research levels, and it is administered centrally rather than by individual universities.
The programme is competitive and places are limited. It is not a fallback for applicants who did not get institutional funding; it is a selective award that students apply for directly. Because scholarship terms, application windows and eligibility criteria change from year to year, we are deliberately not stating specific figures or dates here. If you are considering this route, you should check the official Türkiye Bursları website for the current cycle's requirements and confirm deadlines well in advance.
Many universities also offer their own institutional scholarships, particularly foundation universities competing for strong international students. These are separate from Türkiye Bursları and governed entirely by each institution's own policies.
After Arrival: The Residence Permit
Gaining admission and obtaining a visa to enter Türkiye is not the end of the administrative process. Once you arrive, you will need to apply for a student residence permit to remain legally in the country for the duration of your studies. This is a separate step from your entry visa, and it is your responsibility to initiate it after arrival.
Procedures, required documents and processing times can shift, and the specifics are outside the scope of this article to detail reliably. Your university's international student office is the right first point of contact. Most universities with significant international student populations have staff familiar with this process and can guide you through it. Connecting with that office early, ideally before you arrive, will save you a great deal of stress.
Choosing the Right Institution
With more than 200 universities in Türkiye across public and foundation categories, the range of options can feel overwhelming. A few principles will help you narrow it down.
Start with your subject, not the city or the ranking. Identify which institutions have strong departments in your field and check whether they accept the admission route available to you. Then look at the language of instruction for your specific programme, not the university in general.
Location matters more than students sometimes assume at the application stage. Istanbul is the largest city and the most internationally connected, but it is also the most expensive to live in. Ankara, as the capital, has a strong concentration of public institutions. Izmir is popular, cosmopolitan and has a significant student population. Smaller cities often offer a quieter experience with lower costs and a more local character. None of these is objectively better; it depends on what kind of experience you want.
Talk to current or recent international students if you can. University open days, online forums and student communities are all sources of ground-level insight that no official guide can fully replicate.
The Practical Checklist Before You Apply
To bring this together into something actionable, here is the sequence most applicants should follow:
First, identify two or three target programmes and confirm the admission routes each university accepts for international students in your category. Do this directly with admissions offices or through official university publications.
Second, determine whether you need TR-YÖS and, if so, register for the next available sitting at a centre near you. Start preparation early given the 100-minute, 80-question format. Our TR-YÖS guide and practice questions are a good starting point.
Third, address the language question honestly. If you need to prepare for a Turkish language proficiency test, build that time into your timeline. If you are targeting English-taught programmes, verify your English qualification will be accepted.
Fourth, research scholarship options through the Türkiye Bursları programme and any institutional scholarships at your target universities, and note application deadlines carefully.
Fifth, begin preparing your documentation: transcripts, certificates, a passport valid well beyond your intended period of study, and any other materials your target universities require.
Finally, connect with your university's international office as soon as you receive an offer to get guidance on your student residence permit.
Türkiye is a serious option for international students who do their homework, and a confusing one for those who do not. The admission system has genuine flexibility, the scholarship landscape is real, and the country offers an experience that is genuinely different from anglophone study destinations. But the variation between institutions, the language decision, and the administrative steps after arrival all require active attention.
If you want to work through your options with someone who knows the landscape, AxoPrep and Atlas advisors are available for free consultations. Whether you are weighing Türkiye against other destinations, deciding whether to sit TR-YÖS, or trying to make sense of a specific university's requirements, we are happy to help you think it through clearly.
