How much are the fees for international students?

İÜ charges from 95,220 TL a year (literature, theology) to 476,100 TL (medicine). Fees are set in lira, so the dollar amount depends on the exchange rate. Next year's prices are published closer to the intake.

Which programs are taught in English?

A limited list of bachelor's programs, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, computer engineering, business and economics. Quotas are small: 2 to 10 places per program in the last intake. Most other programs are in Turkish or "30% English".

What are the admission requirements?

You need one of SAT, ACT, TR-YÖS, IB, French Baccalaureate, Abitur or Austrian Matura. For medicine the latest minimums were SAT 1440, ACT 32.33, IB 36.33 or TR-YÖS 300. National exams and school grades are not accepted, and A-levels count only for citizens of Northern Cyprus.

Does İÜ accept IELTS?

IELTS is not on İÜ's list for exemption from the English prep year. Accepted results include TOEFL iBT 84, PTE Academic 71, Cambridge CAE grade B and YDS 70. You can also take İÜ's own English exam in September.

Are there scholarships?

The current fee list offers only a 25% sibling discount for families living in Turkey. The main option is the government Türkiye Bursları scholarship: applications usually run 10 January to 20 February. Bachelor's applicants must be under 21 and need at least 90% for medicine, dentistry or pharmacy. See our Türkiye Bursları guide.

İÜ announces dates closer to each intake. In the last cycle the online window was one week, 13–20 July. Take your SAT or TR-YÖS well before that, because your result must be final when you apply.

Istanbul University (İstanbul Üniversitesi): Admission Guide for International Students

A low-fee state university in central Istanbul. Mostly Turkish-taught, small English quotas, admission by SAT, ACT, TR-YÖS or IB.

Istanbul University (İstanbul Üniversitesi, İÜ) is a state university in the historic center of Istanbul. It traces its history to 1453, and the modern university opened in 1933. Tuition for international students runs from 95,220 TL a year in literature and theology to 476,100 TL in medicine.

İÜ suits students with a strong SAT, ACT, TR-YÖS or IB result who want a state-university fee and are ready to learn Turkish. It does not suit you if you only have a national school certificate or A-levels: İÜ does not accept them. English-taught medicine is a long shot, with 4 places for international students in the last intake.

The university reports about 68,000 on-campus students, including roughly 6,500 international students from 146 countries.

Key fact	İstanbul Üniversitesi (İÜ)
Type	State university
History	Traces its roots to 1453; modern university since 1933
Separate university since 2018	İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa (Law No. 7141)
Medical school	İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi, Çapa campus (Fatih)
Campuses	9, including Beyazıt, Vezneciler, Çapa, Avcılar and Kadıköy
Main language of instruction	Turkish; a limited list of programs fully in English
Accepted for admission	SAT, ACT, TR-YÖS, IB, French Baccalaureate, Abitur, Austrian Matura
Programs per application	Up to 3
Application fee	950 TL or 20 USD, non-refundable

Istanbul University fees for international students

Fees are set in Turkish lira, not dollars. You pay in two halves, for the fall and spring semesters, via Halkbank with a reference number from the AKSİS student system. The table shows the official current price list for bachelor's programs.

Faculty	TL per year	TL per semester	About, USD per year*
Medicine (İstanbul Tıp, Turkish and English)	476,100	238,050	~10,000
Dentistry	309,465	154,732.50	~6,500
Pharmacy	238,050	119,025	~5,000
Law, Architecture, Nursing	190,440	95,220	~4,000
Science, Aquatic Sciences, Computer and IT	166,635	83,317.50	~3,500
Business, Political Sciences, Communication, Transport and Logistics	142,830	71,415	~3,000
Economics	119,025	59,512.50	~2,500
Literature, Theology	95,220	47,610	~2,000

*At about 47.6 TL per USD. What you actually pay in dollars depends on the exchange rate on the payment date.

The English preparatory year costs the same as a year of your program. The only discount in the current price list is 25% for siblings, and only if the family lives in Turkey on a residence permit and more than one child studies at a state university. Next year's fees are published closer to the intake.

What a year at Istanbul University costs

Turkish lira per year, current fees for international students

Medicine (İstanbul Tıp)476,100 TL
Dentistry309,465 TL
Pharmacy238,050 TL
Law, Architecture, Nursing190,440 TL
Science, Aquatic Sciences, Computer and IT166,635 TL
Business, Political Sciences, Communication142,830 TL
Economics119,025 TL
Literature, Theology95,220 TL

What you pay in dollars depends on the exchange rate on the payment date; at about 47.6 TL per USD, Medicine is about $10,000. Next year's fees are published closer to the intake.

Programs and language of instruction

Turkish is İÜ's main language. Only a limited list of bachelor's programs is taught fully in English, each with a small quota:

Fully English-taught programs, places for international students

Medicine (Tıp, 6 years): 4 places; Dentistry (5 years): 2; Pharmacy (5 years): 3
Computer Engineering: 2; Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering: 2
Business Administration (Faculty of Business): 10; Economics: 5
Management Information Systems, Tourism and Gastronomy Management, Logistics Management: 2 each
Political Science and International Relations: 8 (Faculty of Political Sciences) + 2 (Faculty of Economics)
Physics: 5; American Culture and Literature: 5; English Language and Literature: 2; Theology: 5

Many other programs are "at least 30% English", including Architecture, Biology, Mathematics and Public Administration. The rest of their teaching is in Turkish. Law, Psychology and Nursing are taught only in Turkish. In the last intake İÜ offered around 430 places for international students across all programs, including distance learning.

English-taught programs start with a compulsory one-year English prep program, unless you are exempt. It does not count toward your degree years. If you do not pass prep within 2 years, you are dismissed from the program.

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Admission requirements for international students

İÜ accepts international applicants only with SAT, ACT, TR-YÖS, IB, the French Baccalaureate (French Ministry of Education diploma only), German Abitur or Austrian Matura. Your national exam and school grades are not accepted, whether you hold FSc, CBSE, WAEC or Thanaweya Amma. A-levels now count only for citizens of Northern Cyprus who finished school there. You submit one exam or diploma result per application.

Faculty group	SAT	ACT	IB (of 42)	TR-YÖS (of 500)
Medicine	1440	32.33	36.33	300
Dentistry, Pharmacy, Computer and IT, Law	1360	30.5	33.5	300
Architecture, Science, Aquatic Sciences	1280	28.67	30.67	250
Economics, Business, Communication	1280	28.67	30.67	240
Political Sciences, Theology, Literature, Logistics	1200	26.88	27.83	240

These are the latest entry thresholds, not admission scores. Applicants then compete by score, and applicants from one country can take no more than 20% of a program's places.

How to apply to İÜ

Choose up to 3 programs and check the minimum score for each faculty group.

Take one exam. SAT scores must come from a single sitting (no superscore) and stay valid for 2 years. The fall TR-YÖS session is in October, with results in November; a TR-YÖS result is valid for 2 years. Check ÖSYM's calendar for upcoming dates.

Plan your English. TOEFL iBT 84, PTE Academic 71, Cambridge CAE grade B or YDS 70 exempts you from the prep year. IELTS is not on İÜ's list. Without a certificate, you sit İÜ's own exemption exam in September.

Prepare documents: school diploma and transcript with a notarized or consular Turkish translation, passport, photos, and a signed statement that you have 15,000 TL for study and living costs. A bank statement is not required for this form.

Apostille or legalize your diploma. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia use the apostille. Nigeria, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Kuwait need consular legalization: education ministry, foreign ministry, then the Turkish consulate.

Apply online at isad.istanbul.edu.tr: fill in the form, pay the 950 TL or 20 USD fee, and choose programs once an admissions officer checks your file. Your exam result must be final, with İÜ listed as a score recipient.

Get your acceptance letter online and apply for a student visa at the Turkish consulate.

Register in September with original documents and the Denklik (recognition of your school diploma) from the Ministry of Education, via e-Denklik or a Turkish consulate. Proof of application is enough at registration if you submit the Denklik within 60 days.

For reference, the last cycle: applications 13–20 July, placement results 17 August, acceptance letters 19–20 August, registration 7–11 September. The window was only one week. İÜ publishes dates for each intake in its application guide closer to the start.

What to know before you apply

Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa is a different university. Since 2018 it runs Cerrahpaşa Medical School and its own engineering, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing faculties. İÜ's medical school is İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi (Çapa). Check the university name on every form.
Turkish matters even in English programs. İÜ rules send students below B2 in Turkish to Turkish prep for up to 4 semesters; B2 students must reach C1 by year 3. How this applies to fully English-taught programs is not spelled out, so we confirm it with the admissions office for your program.
Your school grades do not count. Book SAT, ACT or TR-YÖS first; the exam decides your timeline.
Quotas are tiny. With 4 places in English-taught medicine, a strong score may still not be enough. Keep a plan B.
Prep adds a year, and the price is in lira, so your dollar cost moves with the exchange rate.
Degree recognition at home is your check. If you plan to practice medicine or law at home, confirm with your national regulator that it recognizes this program before you apply.
Work is limited. Bachelor's students can work only part time from year 2, and only with a work permit that the employer applies for.

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Rankings and accreditation

İÜ is ranked 1201–1500 in the THE World University Rankings. By subject, THE places it 601–800 in Medical and Health, Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, and Social Sciences. In the QS World University Rankings it is #=629, after #=628 a year earlier.

Both medical programs of İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi, in Turkish and in English, are accredited by TEPDAD until 1 January 2031, with an interim review in 2028. TEPDAD is recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) until July 2033.

Housing and student life

İÜ has one dormitory of its own: Ömer Halisdemir Öğrenci Yurdu in Bahçelievler, for female students only. Places go by score through AKSİS, with priority for families outside Istanbul. Everyone else rents privately or finds another dormitory.

Budget about $700–1,300 a month in Istanbul: less in a dormitory or shared flat, more in a flat of your own. Check the address before you sign a lease. Some Istanbul districts, including Fatih and Avcılar, were closed to new residence registrations for foreigners, with an exception only for students whose faculty is in the same district. We check the address in e-ikamet or with the university first.

Student visa and residence permit

Citizens of Pakistan, India, Nigeria and Egypt need a visa to enter Turkey; Saudi and UAE citizens enter visa-free for up to 90 days. The e-Visa is officially for tourism and business, so we recommend a student visa from the Turkish consulate. Some universities accept residence permit applications after e-Visa or visa-free entry, but check this with İÜ first.

After registration, you fill in the student residence permit form on e-ikamet and submit the documents through the university, not the migration office. The card costs 964 TL; students pay no residence permit fee. Within 3 months of registration you can enroll in state health insurance (GSS). Full details are on our student visa and residence permit page.

Other options in Turkey

If your score is short of İÜ's minimums, compare alternatives. METU is another state university, with fees of about $1,600–2,400 a year. Private universities such as Medipol, Bahçeşehir and Altınbaş teach more programs in English at a higher price; Medipol lists $40,000 a year for English-taught medicine. See also medicine in Turkey, admission requirements and studying in Turkey.

14 questions to ask before you pay the deposit

Deposits are almost never refundable. Ask these by email before paying — and keep the university's answer on record.

What to ask about the programme, accreditation and the degree
What tuition does not include and when a deposit is refunded
Who files the visa application — you or the university
Five red flags that mean you should not pay

Other universities in Turkey

Compare the terms: fees, language of instruction and entry requirements differ.

Not sure your score is enough for İÜ? Send us your exam results and documents. We check them against İÜ's minimums and quotas, tell you whether apostille or legalization applies to you, and compare 2–3 alternatives in Turkey as a plan B. The first consultation is free: write to us via the website form, WhatsApp or Telegram, or visit our contacts page.