Why international students choose Türkiye
Türkiye has 208 universities and nearly 45,000 degree programmes, according to the official Study in Türkiye portal run by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) (Study in Türkiye). It also offers one of the most generous government scholarships for international students, which includes university placement as well as funding.
What it costs
There is no national tuition fee for international students: each university sets its own. As an example, the board of Eskişehir Osmangazi University, a state university, set fees for the 2026-2027 academic year ranging from 30,000 TL a year for two-year programmes at some vocational schools to 390,000 TL a year for the six-year medicine programme (Eskişehir Osmangazi University). Foundation (private) universities set their own fees too. Check the international office of each university you apply to.
The official portal gives no figure for living costs. It says dormitory fees vary by university and that private dormitories cost more than state ones (Study in Türkiye).
The student visa and residence permit
Start with a student visa from your nearest Turkish consulate, applying as soon as you receive your admission letter. You can apply online through konsolosluk.gov.tr. Once enrolled, you apply for a student residence permit through your university’s student affairs or international student office, using the documents listed by the Presidency of Migration Management (Study in Türkiye).
Anyone staying longer than the visa or exemption period, or 90 days, needs a residence permit, and the first application must be made before the visa expires. You need health insurance that covers the whole permit period; applications without it can be cancelled (Study in Türkiye FAQ). The pages we checked do not give a proof of funds amount.
Working while you study
A student residence permit does not give you the right to work. You need a separate work permit, issued by the General Directorate of International Labour (Study in Türkiye).
- Associate and undergraduate students: the right to work starts after the first year.
- Graduate and doctoral students: can work once they have a work permit (Study in Türkiye FAQ).
Middle East Technical University adds that the employer, not the student, applies for the permit, and that undergraduate permits cover part-time jobs only (METU).
After you graduate
The official pages we checked do not describe a post-study work route for international graduates. Ask your university’s international office about your options.
Scholarships for Türkiye
Türkiye Scholarships (Türkiye Bursları), run by the government, cover:
- university and department placement
- tuition fees
- a monthly stipend of 6,500 TL for undergraduates, 9,500 TL for master’s and 13,000 TL for PhD students
- accommodation and health insurance
- a one-year Turkish language course
- a once-off flight ticket, at the start of studies and on graduation (Türkiye Scholarships)
The general application period runs from 10 January to 20 February, with results in early August (Türkiye Scholarships). Applicants for bachelor’s degrees must be under 21, master’s under 30 and PhD under 35, and need at least 70% (75% for graduate programmes, 90% for health sciences) (Türkiye Scholarships).
The Council of Higher Education also runs a CoHE Scholarship for undergraduate and graduate students, with a year of language preparation (Study in Türkiye).
