Admission Requirements for Higher Education in Turkey

The universities in Turkey set their admission requirements individually. The requirements vary depending upon the study level, programme and nationality of student- Turkish or International. Read on to know about the general admission requirements and procedure of admission for Turkish as well as international students.

General Admission Requirements

For Undergraduate Studies: Associate and Bachelor Degree

Turkish students are required to sit for a university entrance exam organized by Student Selection and Placement Center (OSYM). The examination has 2 stages- YGS-LYS exam:
  • Stage 1: This stage consists of a higher education entrance exam (YGS).  Students must score 140 out of 500 to go to stage 2
  • Stage 2: This stage comprises of a bachelor placemen exam (LYS).
For associate degree programme: Students are accepted into the associate degree programme on the basis of the higher education entrance exam (YGS) scores. 

For admission into bachelor degree programme: Students are accepted into the bachelor degree programmes on the basis of the entrance exam scores and secondary education GPA (Grade point average).
Students must hold a secondary school leaving qualification (Lise Diplomasi), vocational high school diploma (Meslek Lise Diploması) or technical high school diploma (Teknik Lise Diploması) in order to gain admittance into the undergraduate programme. Equivalence students must have a university degree equivalent to qualifications/degrees conferred by Turkish Universities. The certificate of equivalence is provided by the Turkish Higher Education Council for registration.

For Graduate Studies in Turkey

The admission requirements for graduate studies in Turkey are determined by the individual department. Some departments conduct personal interviews also for admission.  

For Master’s & PhD degree programmes: Candidates must apply directly to the university of their choice. Students are required to sit for an exam-“Academic Personnel and Graduate Education Exam, or ALES” in order to gain admittance into the graduate programme. The exam is organized and managed by the Student Selection and Placement Center (OSYM). Also, for master's degree students must have completed undergraduate degree programmes; and for doctorate/PhD studies, students must hold a relevant master's degree. 

Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) for Graduate Studies in Turkey
  • For MA/MS programmes: Students must hold a BA/BS degree with a GPA of at least 55 points over 100, or its equivalent
  • For MA/MS programmes without thesis: Students must hold a BA/BS degree and posses a GPA of at least  55 points out of 100, or its equivalent 
  • For PhD studies: Students must hold a MS/MA degree with a GPA of at least 65 points, or its equivalent. "MA/MS programs without thesis" is accepted for PhD studies if the thesis is submitted separately.

English Language Proficiency

TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language): Score of at least 70 is required.

IELTS: International English language testing system score 5.0 is required for pre-masters programmes, and for other academic programmes, score 6.0 is accepted. 

Turkish Language Proficiency

Students are required to demonstrate their level of command in Turkish language. Students must submit the scores of the Turkish proficiency exam (TYS) / Turkish as a foreign language. Yunus Emre Institute organizes and manages this exam. The exam is developed as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Other Turkish language proficiency tests that are accepted by universities in Turkey are:


Admission Dates and Deadlines

Students are accepted into the Turkish universities twice a year, once for fall semester and the other for the spring semester. To know about the exact dates and deadlines, contact the respective higher education institution. The Council of Higher Education (CoHE) announces a quota for international students every year. There are limited quotas in each of the university for international students. 
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