Studying in Turkey: Degrees, TR-YÖS and How to Apply

Each university in Türkiye picks its own students from abroad. Which exam you can sit depends on where you went to high school and which citizenship you hold.

Find your route on the answer sheet

Mark one oval for each question, as on an exam sheet. A stamp lands on the route slip with the steps for that route and a Turkish e-mail to a university’s international office, ready to copy.

The sheet maps the published rules for TR-YÖS and for admission. It does not decide a case. Where a group has conditions, the stamp reads “Check the guide”, meaning ÖSYM’s TR-YÖS guide.

How Turkish universities are organised and what a degree takes

In 1981 Türkiye restructured higher education. The system became centralised, and every institution is tied to YÖK. Alongside the state universities, the first nonprofit foundation university began teaching in 1986.

After high school, students can enrol in higher education, which follows the European ladder of bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate (the Bologna system). Study load is counted in European course credits (ECTS), a unit for the workload of a course.

How you get in TR-YÖS, YKS or a university’s own exam

Students from abroad must have finished a high school whose education equals a Turkish high school’s. They apply to the university of their choice directly, and the university makes the selection. Master’s and doctoral applicants also apply directly.

Public and foundation universities publish their quotas for students from abroad every year, under the “Students Who will Fund their Studies” tab of YÖK’s website. They accept applications for those quotas on the strength of exams they name, such as TR-YÖS, a university’s own YÖS, the German Abitur, the US SAT or the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Since the 2024–2025 term, public universities weigh the TR-YÖS result, the secondary-school grade average that the university senate specifies, other countries’ national exams and international exams. Foundation universities weigh the result of the exam they run themselves, as well as the exams and scores their senate specifies.

TR-YÖS and a university’s own YÖS are different exams. ÖSYM runs TR-YÖS and posts its dates. A university runs its own YÖS and announces the results itself. A Turkish language certificate is not a requirement for sitting TR-YÖS. The university judges the applicant’s Turkish within the requirements and documents it sets.

The TR-YÖS exam from ticket to result

TR-YÖS is designed for foreign students who want to study at a university in Türkiye. Full rules: ÖSYM’s English guide (PDF).

Tests

The Numerical Aptitude Test (40 questions) and the Basic Mathematics Test (40 questions)

Questions

All multiple choice, five options each, one correct answer

Time

100 minutes for both tests

Score

Each test: right answers minus a quarter of the wrong ones. The Numerical Aptitude Test is worth 45% and the Basic Mathematics Test 55%; the total becomes a score from 100 to 500

Languages

The question booklet is in Turkish, with translations in German, English, French, Russian and Arabic

Valid for

2 years from the exam date

Who may sit. People in their last year of high school, or who have graduated, and did not go to high school in Türkiye:

• Foreign nationals. Two groups who studied in Türkiye may also sit: those who finished all of high school at an embassy school or at an international private school on the Ministry of National Education’s list (its MOBİS system), and those who came to Türkiye under a project of the Ministry of National Education or YÖK.
• People who were Turkish citizens by birth and gave up Turkish citizenship with permission, and Blue Card holders, if they did not study in Türkiye or the TRNC.
• People who were foreign nationals and became Turkish citizens, and dual nationals in that position, if they did not study in Türkiye or the TRNC.
• Turkish citizens who finished all of high school in a foreign country other than the TRNC.
• Citizens of the TRNC who hold a GCE Advanced Level, TR-YÖS or a qualification that meets the criteria set for higher education institutions, if they did not study at high schools in Türkiye or at TRNC schools that teach the Turkish curriculum.
• Graduates of the Ministry of National Education’s Open Education High School abroad, if they can document that they lived in that country in the years of their high school.

The 2026 YKS rule can also apply to these groups. Where a group falls under both rules, the answer sheet stamps “Check the guide”.

Ticket to result

Five stops, one exam

1. 1

   Register

   Register on the TR-YÖS candidate portal with an e-mail address. Once you verify it, a password arrives by e-mail. You sign in with that password and your TR-YÖS number.

2. 2

   Apply and payclosed

   09.07.2026 to 03.08.2026

   Late application 07.08.2026 to 11.08.2026, at a higher fee

   Apply in the window. Candidates with no Turkish identity card and no valid photo in ÖSYM’s system take a photo in the TR-YÖS mobile app and upload photos of the front and back of an identity document. Pay by card by 04.08.2026, 23:59 Türkiye time. Applications by post or by hand are not accepted. Print the application form and keep it.

3. 3

   Exam dayheld

   11.10.2026

   Be at the building at least 1 hour before the start. The standard start is 11:15 Türkiye time, and nobody is admitted after 11:00.

4. 4

   Resultsahead

   05.11.2026

   Sign in on the results site with the TR-YÖS number and password. Score reports are not sent.

5. 5

   Apply to a university

   Apply to each university directly, with the result and the documents it asks for. The university selects. The result is valid for 2 years from the exam date.

Next cycle: the 2027 calendar is not out yet (checked 23.10.2026).

Exam fee by country band

• 3,700 TRY

  26 places, among them Türkiye, Germany, the United States, Russia

• 1,650 TRY

  20 places, among them Algeria, Georgia, India, Morocco

• 1,150 TRY

  33 places, among them Afghanistan, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa

The country of the first-choice exam centre sets the fee. Candidates list up to five centres in order of preference, and at least one must be in Türkiye. Fees paid are not refunded. Payments in US dollars or euros equal the lira fee for that country, at the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye’s rate. The exam ticket covers every country.

Exam day, drawn to scale

• 10:15 At the building at the latest, 1 hour before the start
• 11:00 Doors close; admission ends 15 minutes before the start
• 11:15 Exam starts, Türkiye time. A few countries start at another local time
• 12:55 Exam ends: 100 minutes for both tests

• Bring a printout of the Exam Entrance Document, which shows the exam centre, building, hall and your photo, and the original photo ID or an unexpired photo passport.
• On the answer sheet fill each bubble fully without going past the circle. A question with more than one mark is marked wrong, and the optical reader may also read a poorly erased mark.
• Abroad at a centre with fewer than 15 applicants, ÖSYM decides after the applications whether the exam is held there.

Sources: ÖSYM exam calendar and the 2026 TR-YÖS/2 guide (English PDF), checked 23.10.2026.

After admission visa, residence permit and scholarships

1. Student visaStudents who come to study in Türkiye must obtain a student visa from the nearest Turkish consulate. The procedure can take time, so apply as soon as the admission letter arrives. The visa application can be made online on the consulates’ website.
2. Student residence permitForeigners studying in higher education programmes in Türkiye must get one. After applying, hand the documents listed on the form, with the residence permit registration form, to your university’s student affairs office or international student office as soon as possible. Do not wait for the appointment date. Details: Directorate of Migration Management (in Turkish).
3. ScholarshipsThey come from the Republic of Türkiye, students’ own states, other organisations and universities. The amounts vary. YÖK’s own scholarship is for undergraduate and graduate students from countries that signed a protocol with it; if an admitted student has no Turkish proficiency certificate, a one-year language preparation is offered. Türkiye Scholarships also cover needs such as accommodation and health insurance during their studies. More: YÖK’s scholarships page; scholarships in Türkiye on Turkpidya.

Sources