Turkish university admission for Chinese students

Three reasons. Cost: tuition at strong Turkish universities is typically well below comparable UK or US institutions, with fees depending on whether the university is public or private and on the program. Quality: several Turkish universities are inside the global top 500 (İTÜ, METU, Koç, Boğaziçi, Sabancı, Bilkent). Pathway: a Turkish degree can lead to a residence permit or a work permit, and families can pursue citizenship by investment separately. Turkey is also a strong stepping stone to the EU and the MENA region.

YÖS (Yabancı Uyruklu Öğrenci Sınavı) is the entrance exam for international applicants to Turkish universities. ÖSYM has again run a central exam, TR-YÖS, since 2023, now twice a year (in 2026 on 12 April and 11 October, at centres in Türkiye and abroad), and scores stay valid for two years; some universities also hold their own exams (for example İÜYÖS). These exams test basic learning skills such as mathematics, geometry, and reasoning; Turkish is assessed separately through a TÖMER or Yunus Emre certificate. Many public universities also accept recognised international results such as SAT or gaokao, with minimum scores set by each university. Private universities mostly do not require YÖS and accept high-school transcripts plus SAT or equivalent. We screen which universities and programs match your profile and decide on the exam path early.

Not necessarily. Hundreds of programs are taught in English, and many private universities are entirely English-medium. For Turkish-medium programs, you typically need a C1 certificate from a TÖMER centre or the Yunus Emre Institute (TYS), or to pass the university's own Turkish examination. Many students take one year of Turkish language preparation before starting the degree, and we coordinate the language-school enrollment and the short-term residence permit for the course as a combined package.

Fees are set each year by each university, so we check the current fee lists for your shortlisted programs. Public universities are generally the lower-cost option for foreign students, though medicine and dentistry cost more. Private universities usually charge more, and fees vary widely by program (medicine and dentistry sit at the top). Istanbul living costs (accommodation, food, transport) depend mainly on housing and lifestyle. Smaller Turkish cities run noticeably cheaper. We provide a full budget projection during the consultation.

Yes. Graduates can apply once for a 1-year short-term residence permit within 6 months of graduating; to work, an employer must obtain a work permit for them. Highly qualified graduates may later be assessed for the Turquoise Card, a points-based permit whose work and residence rights become indefinite after a 3-year transition period. For families planning long-term residence in Turkey, university admission is a strong first step that pairs cleanly with the citizenship-by-investment route at a later stage.

We do four things you cannot easily replicate from China: (1) we have direct relationships with international student offices at the major Turkish universities; (2) we know which programs accept Chinese high-school transcripts without entrance exams and which do not; (3) we handle the bilingual document workflow (transcripts, apostille, Turkish translation, recommendation letters) and the on-arrival residence permit; (4) we are physically present in Istanbul if anything goes wrong after your child arrives.