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 |
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 |
*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
- Economics
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
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 |
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
1
Choose up to 3 programs and check the minimum score for each faculty group.
2
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.
3
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.
4
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.
5
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.
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.
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
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.
