Universities in Turkey. How the higher education system is organized. Requirements for Foreigners
Many families when moving to Turkey for permanent residence face the question of where to educate their children: what university in Turkey to choose, what is needed for the entrance, how prestigious to study at universities in Turkey and how much a year of study in them costs?
In this article we will consider features of higher education system in Turkey, we will learn if it is difficult for foreigners to enter the local universities, what exams are necessary to pass at the entrance, what are the advantages of Turkish universities compared with other countries?
We will tell you about education in Turkey - how the system of entrance to public and private universities works, how much education costs for foreigners, is it necessary to already know the Turkish language at the entrance?
Consider methods of entry for foreign applicants, assess the level of education, explore similarities to the European system of education, and highlight the advantages of studying at Turkish universities.
Higher Education in Turkey
Higher education in Turkey is often undeservedly disregarded when talking about the reasons for immigrating to this country.
However, for those who move here with children and plan to stay in Turkey or Europe in the future, Turkish higher education is an excellent way to give a child a good start in adult life.
Educational standards in Turkey are very high and students start preparing for university as early as 4 years before they enter high school, the lyceum.
Many parents hire tutors to improve their child's chances of getting into their chosen university.
Universities of Turkey. Features and advantages?
Among the important advantages of Turkish higher education institutions one should especially mention:
An internationally valid diploma. Turkish higher education institutions are part of the Bologna system, which means that their educational certificates are automatically valid in other countries.
Excellent facilities. Universities do not spare money for research centres and laboratories, which is especially important for those who plan to study medicine or science.
They have adopted the same study programme as the United States of America. There are only 3-5 compulsory courses, while the rest are chosen at the student's discretion from a long list of available programmes.
The opportunity to study for free through the Türkiye Bursları grant system; talented students receive scholarships and accommodation from the state. There is a campus at almost every university.
Public universities offer affordable tuition fees: one course costs an average of $200-$1000 for foreigners. Private universities are much more expensive. The most expensive department everywhere is the medical one.
It is possible to enter without knowing the Turkish language. Students who apply for a bachelor's degree and do not know Turkish (or English, if the department will study it) are granted a one year academic scholarship - during this year they attend language courses at the university and are already enrolled in it..
It should be noted that Turkish universities are much more loyal to academic performance than, for example, in the countries of the former Soviet Union: no one is excluded from the university for academic debts.
You simply need to accumulate a certain number of points by the end of the semester. The grades for the core and secondary subjects are added up.
Students who do not achieve the required number of points may attend summer school to fill in the gaps, or stay for a second year - if necessary, even several times.
In that case, the course will not last 4 or 5 years, but 6 or 7 years - until all semesters have been closed in terms of grades.
How does the applying process for higher education in Turkey?
For foreigners, entry is available in the following ways:
Through the grant system (Türkiye Bursları).
Based on the results of the YÖS or SAT exams.
According to the average grade of the school or college diploma.
According to the results of ZNO, USE, ORT, UNT and so o.
Türkiye Bursları - Grants for foreign students
The state scholarship programme covers all costs, including health insurance, residence permit, and two-way tickets. In addition, the student can expect to receive a scholarship of about 1000 lira each month. If required, he will also be offered a one-year Turkish language course, also free of charge.
To try to get a grant at a Turkish university, it is important not to miss the start of applications (usually the start is in January), correctly fill out all the documents.
In addition, keep in mind such important aspects of entry:
If the study will be in a foreign language (French, English, German), you will need to submit a language certificate along with the application form. IELTS, YDS, YOKDIL are acceptable for English, and most universities require a TOEFL score between 75-80.
Private and public universities in the top 10 may also require an SAT certificate with a minimum score of 1200. These universities include, for example, ODTÜ, Koç üniversitesi, Bilkent üniversitesi.
According to experts, the overall chance of receiving a grant is estimated at 3-5% - only the most talented, intelligent and brightest are really accepted there.
In this case, the application process takes place in winter, in May and June, the applicant may be invited to an interview (not necessarily), and the results are announced only in August. If you only rely on the grant and do not apply by other means, you may lose time.
Grants have strict restrictions on applicants: Bachelor's degrees are only admissible up to the age of 21, Master's degrees up to the age of 30 and Doctoral degrees up to the age of 35.
A high average score on the education document. It is 3.5 out of 5 for Bachelor's degrees and 3 out of 4 for Master's and Doctoral degrees. For medical and legal specialties the requirements are even stricter.
Foreign nationality. Those who have once renounced Turkish citizenship or have dual citizenship cannot apply for a grant.
Features of the entry into universities on the results of the exam YÖS
This is the name of the common examination for all foreigners, and it can be used to enter any university faculty. It is a mathematical examination of algebra, geometry and logic. YÖS is compulsory for entry into the top Turkish universities, as well as any other universities if the chosen field of study is medicine, pedagogy, dentistry, architecture, law or pharmacy..
Here are the basic things you need to know if you want to take the YÖS exam:
The examination has to be paid for (yes, yes!), and each university has its own exam. You have to pay about 50 dollars for taking the exam.
The exercises are given in the form of a test: 80 questions in total, with 5 possible answers for each question. The time for taking the test is limited - usually 100-150 minutes.
Each university has its own passing score for the Bachelor's degree (common for all majors).
You do not need to know Turkish to pass the exam; universities translate the test papers into different languages, including Russian and English.
Even if an applicant achieves the maximum score, he will still have to pay for his studies - in such a case no grant is provided.
The YÖS can be taken offline or online - the procedure is determined by the university, and some universities have a visiting committee to take the exam in other countries.
The universities themselves prepare the YÖS tests, but the general topics are the same everywhere, so there is no point in preparing for a specific list of tests.
In Turkey, YÖS preparation is offered by many tutors, including some in English, and there are also year-long courses, which means that in the final year of schooling it is offered to prepare for the entry exam at the same time.
From 2023, Turkey plans to introduce a unified YÖS exam for all universities. This is convenient: you will not have to pay several times, the tasks will be standardized, and that means the entry criteria will be more transparent.
In addition to the YÖS, Turkish universities also apply the SAT, which is a standardized American test taken before entering a university or college in the United States.
It examines a student's knowledge in several areas, including word processing in English and solving mathematical problems.
The SAT is graded on a section-by-section basis and a maximum score is set for each section. You can get a total of 400 to 1600 points in the SAT. The examination lasts for 3 hours.
How to get in according to the average mark of your school certificate
Now let's talk about how to enter a Turkish university with a high school diploma (or college diploma, if the student left school after the 9th grade) or with the results of the USE/ENT (internal examinations of other countries).
The first thing to know is that not all universities accept students exactly on the basis of the average mark of a school certificate or USE, without examinations.
Do not think that you can get into the best universities this way - even if the requirements for admission include a certificate of achievement as well as the YÖS or SAT, the first choice will be the students who passed these examinations.
And only after that, if there are still places available, those with high average grades will be invited.
Although among those who take it, for example, there is ODTÜ Ankara (the best technical university). But you have to understand that there is a huge competition for places even among those who passed the SAT, especially for the most prestigious faculties.
Other important aspects:
The cost of education for those who applied with an average score and for those who passed the YOS is the same. Even for excellent certificate or diploma grades there will be no discount, as well as for a high score on YÖS.
The tuition fees are the same for both those who have gained an average grade and those who have taken the YOS. Even for excellent grades on your school leaving certificate or diploma, there is no discount, nor is there any discount for a high YÖS score.
Most universities will open up their doors for applications based on school leaving certificates in late summer, when they are able to enrol YOS students. Such priority applies nearly everywhere, even to small and not very prestigious universities.
In order to apply for entry on the basis of grade point average, you need to have a school-leaving certificate in hand. The same applies to a college degree.
The grade point average is calculated by adding up all grades and dividing by the number of studies.
The minimum grade with which you will be admitted to the competition is 3.5 for an undergraduate degree. For some specialties (we listed them above - medicine, law and so on) it is 4.5. We are talking, of course, about a five-point grading system.
Other things to remember for foreigners
All universities in the country only accept applications online, i.e. on their websites. It is therefore very important to find out in advance about the terms and conditions of entry - they are, by the way, constantly changing.
One year a university may only accept applications on the YÖS, the next year it will add applications based on the Leaving Certificate. Application deadlines are also strictly limited.
Not all higher education institutions have distance or extramural study, which is an unpleasant surprise for many foreigners. If this is a matter of principle for your family, there are very few institutions of higher education to choose from.
The most prestigious specialties (apart from the already mentioned medicine) are engineering, including computer engineering, marine business management, international relations and architecture. Competition for such faculties is high, even in expensive private universities.
In total there are about 200 universities in Turkey, more than half of them are state universities.
No matter what field of study a student chooses, you are bound to find a university with the right department - which means all roads are open to students here. A little persistence, patience and perseverance, and it all works out!
If you want to move to Turkey permanently, study here or teach your children, buy a property and enjoy life near the sea, write to us on WhatsApp +90 5374828423.
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