Turkey has a prestigious past of higher education. Throughout history, it was inhabited by great civilizations, and it was home to many scholars, artists, scientists, and philosophers.
This cultural heritage is keeps growing strong even in these days. Some of Turkey’s most prestigious universities are also among the top universities in the world.
There are both public and private universities in Turkey, and every year the number of universities are increasing due to the rising population of youth and the high demand for undergraduate and graduate studies. Turkish universities offer programs not only in Turkish but also in English and some other widely spoken languages. Research is highly appreciated at universities, and most scholars are known worldwide for their work. Especially the newly established universities provide their scholars and students with great opportunities; including technological infrastructure, libraries, and campuses with many facilities.
Turkish universities have a lot to offer for international students. There are exchange programs, mutual agreements between Turkish and foreign universities and also the foreign students can start their undergraduate studies in Turkey.
Until recently, international students were required to take the Examination for Foreign Students (YOS), which was offered by the Student Selection and Placement Center (OSYM). However, OSYM recently decided that YOS will not be required anymore and that foreign students can simply apply for the programs they would like to study by presenting their scores in international exams such as SAT I, GCE or ACT.
The degrees granted by Turkish universities are recognized around the world. The supreme authority for the regulation of higher education is the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), which is a fully autonomous national board of trustees without any political or government affiliation. You can check their website to see YOS equivalencies. The requirements may differ from one university to the other therefore we highly recommend that you visit the web page of the university that you are interested in and check the application procedure and requirements.
For the programs that are held in Turkish, proficiency in Turkish is required. For the programs in different languages, foreign students are not required to speak Turkish. For instance, the Erasmus students who are studying in Turkey do not have to take any proficiency exams in Turkish if their program is in English.
