Study in Turkey: universities, scholarships and costs
Build a study plan for Türkiye that connects the university offer, funding decision and arrival paperwork. Start with your degree level, teaching language and the cost you can meet without an unconfirmed scholarship.
Choose a recognised programme, check its international admission route, calculate the cost after confirmed funding, then arrange the correct entry and residence documents. There is no single application covering every Turkish university.
Next step: Use the route table to identify your first decision. University admission and a scholarship application can run on different calendars.
On this page: jump to your answer
Choose your route to study in Turkey
Use this as a starting map, not a ranking. A route is workable only when it meets your academic needs and leaves an affordable funding gap.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare all columns.
2 official-source records match this topic. Check category and applicant conditions before applying.
Filter opportunities
2 matches
Results show possible programme routes, not confirmed personal eligibility. Check nationality, subject, category and current intake on the official call. Status follows dated records; an undated call needs a fresh check.
ScholarshipCheck official site
Türkiye Scholarships / YTB
Türkiye Scholarships: prepare for the next degree call
Degree funding with placement and level-specific academic/age conditions. The published annual calendar does not confirm that the next intake is open.
Destination
Türkiye
Deadline
Annual Jan–Feb calendar; next named call must be verified
Fully fundedBachelor's / Master's / PhD
Check category, nationality and programme eligibility. Funding labels do not confirm that every personal cost is covered.
ScholarshipClosed
Türkiye Scholarships / YTB and IsDB
IsDB–YTB joint scholarship 2026 — closed
Historical joint call with degree-specific country and field lists. Pakistan and Indonesia appear in the reviewed PhD country group; membership alone does not establish eligibility at every level.
Destination
Türkiye
Deadline
2026 call closed 20 February 2026; next joint call not confirmed
Fully fundedBachelor's / Master's / PhD
Check category, nationality and programme eligibility. Funding labels do not confirm that every personal cost is covered.
Compare public and foundation universities
Keep a shortlist of actual programmes rather than university names alone. Two departments in the same institution can differ in language, professional recognition, fees and document deadlines. Record the campus too: a city label does not tell you the commute.
Start with METU and Istanbul University for the public-university route, and Sabancı, Koç and Bilkent for foundation-university admission and funding comparisons. These five are researched starting points, not an exhaustive list or a claim about the best university for every subject.
Separate three scholarship decisions
Türkiye Bursları, the joint IsDB–YTB route and a university tuition award are separate funding decisions. A university discount should not be entered into the budget as a cash stipend. Read the award letter for duration, accommodation, language preparation and payments still due.
The reviewed 2026 IsDB–YTB application period ended on 20 February 2026. This hub does not announce a 2027 reopening. Prepare documents while waiting for a named official call, and keep a self-funded alternative only if its cost is realistic.
Add tuition, occupied months of accommodation, everyday spending and arrival expenses. Keep USD and TRY in separate columns until you choose and date an exchange rate. A dorm bill for the teaching year is not automatically a twelve-month housing quote.
Istanbul versus Ankara is useful only when the room type, commute, bills and months match. Compare the university-specific housing examples in our living-cost guide; they are not city-wide average rents.
Follow the application and arrival sequence
Make one calendar with separate academic, funding and legal tasks. Keep conditional offer requirements visible until the university confirms they have been satisfied.
1Choose degree level, programme language, campus and recognition requirements.
2Match your school qualification or prior degree to the institution’s accepted route.
3Submit the university and relevant scholarship applications separately.
4Confirm the written offer, net tuition, refundable payments and housing.
5Use the competent Turkish mission’s entry instructions for your nationality.
6After enrolment, follow the university and migration authority’s residence process.
Erasmus+ exchange is an institution-led route
If you are already studying at a university, ask its international office whether a relevant Turkish partner and funded mobility call exist. The Turkish National Agency describes higher-education mobility through participating institutions. An exchange place is different from admission to a complete Turkish degree.
Before accepting a mobility offer, agree course recognition, study dates and funding with the sending institution. Ask which costs the grant actually meets and who arranges housing. Do not assume a university on your preferred city list has an active agreement for your department.
A student residence permit is not an unrestricted work permission. The labour ministry’s current criteria distinguish associate/bachelor’s students from graduate students; the first group can be considered for part-time work after completing the first year, through the work-permit process.
Do not use hoped-for earnings to close a compulsory tuition or visa-funding gap. Before graduation, ask the university and migration authority about your actual residence position. A possible residence route and permission to work are separate questions.
Save a dated copy of each programme page and write down the owner of every unanswered question. Do not store passport or bank details in a shared public worksheet.
Check your progress
0 of 5 complete · kept only while this page is open
Official sources and verification
Source records support the guide. Page update dates describe editorial changes; they do not mean every linked rule was checked again today. Reopen the current call for your programme and intake.
Yes, English-taught routes exist, but check the exact programme and its preparation or exemption rules. An English-language university website does not prove that every degree is taught in English.
Is study in Turkey free for international students?+
Admission itself does not make study free. Tuition and everyday costs remain unless your actual scholarship or exemption covers them. Compare the net offer and excluded costs.
Can Pakistani students apply to Turkish universities?+
Eligible Pakistani applicants can use the institution’s international admission route. University entry, scholarship eligibility and the consular visa process each require separate checks.
Are 2027 scholarship applications open?+
This guide does not confirm an open 2027 Türkiye Bursları or joint IsDB–YTB call. Use the named official announcement rather than extending a previous year’s deadline.
