Middle East Technical University (METU): Admission Guide for International Students
A state university in Ankara with all bachelor's programs in English, low fees and high entry thresholds. Here is what it takes to get in.
METU (Middle East Technical University, in Turkish Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, or ODTÜ) is a state university in Ankara, founded in 1956. Every bachelor's program is taught in English, and tuition for international students is $1,600–2,400 a year.
METU suits strong applicants who want engineering, architecture, the natural sciences or the social sciences at a low price. Your grades or test scores need to be high: for most applicants from Pakistan, Egypt and the Gulf, that means a school certificate of 90% or more.
It does not suit you if you want medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or law. METU has no faculties for these subjects. It also does not suit applicants who plan to use IELTS, which METU does not accept.
| Key fact | METU (Ankara campus) |
|---|---|
Type | State university, founded 1956 |
Language of instruction | English (all bachelor's programs) |
Campus | Ankara, 45 km², of which 33 km² is forest |
Faculties | 5, plus a School of Foreign Languages for the English prep year |
Students | 22,608, including 1,510 international students |
Places for international students | 444 across all bachelor's programs |
Tuition | $800 or $1,200 per semester |
Application fee | None |
METU fees for international students
Tuition depends on the faculty, not on your nationality. The fees below are from METU's current price list for the Ankara campus.
| Program group | Per semester | Per year |
|---|---|---|
Engineering and Architecture (all programs) | $1,200 | $2,400 |
Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Statistics | $1,200 | $2,400 |
Psychology, Sociology, History, Philosophy | $800 | $1,600 |
Economic and Administrative Sciences; Education | $800 | $1,600 |
Master's and PhD | $375 |
You pay in Turkish lira at the Central Bank of Turkey's rate from the week before each payment period. The English prep year costs the same as a semester of your program. These fees apply for the normal length of the program plus two semesters; after that, they rise by 50%. METU publishes next year's fees closer to the intake.
Discounts reward results after you enroll. From the second year, a CGPA of 3.00 gives a 50% discount and 3.50 gives a full waiver, for up to 10% of international students. A 25% family discount applies if a parent lives legally in Turkey and another family member studies at a Turkish state university. Students funded by their own government or another tuition-covering scholarship pay no fees, and METU takes Türkiye Bursları scholarship holders.
What a year at METU costs
USD per year, current fees
- Engineering and Architecture$2,400
- Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology$2,400
- Psychology, Sociology, History, Philosophy$1,600
- Economic and Administrative Sciences$1,600
- Education$1,600
- Master's and PhD$750
Programs and language of instruction
All bachelor's programs at METU are taught in English, and there is no Turkish requirement at admission. The table shows the largest international quotas in the last intake.
| Faculty | Places for international students |
|---|---|
Engineering | Electrical & Electronics 30, Mechanical 24, Computer 22, Civil 22, Aerospace 14, Metallurgical & Materials 12, Industrial 11 |
Architecture | Architecture 15, Industrial Design 10, City & Regional Planning 10 |
Arts and Sciences | Physics 25, Statistics 18, Mathematics 16, Psychology 15, Molecular Biology & Genetics 14 |
Economic and Administrative Sciences | Economics 16, Political Science & Public Administration 16, Business Administration 12, International Relations 12 |
Education | English Language Teaching 12, Computer Education & Instructional Technology 8 |
Quotas are small: Computer Engineering had 22 places for applicants from all countries combined. Quotas for the next intake are published closer to it. METU's Northern Cyprus campus has its own admission and fees; this page covers the Ankara campus only.
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Admission requirements for international students
You apply with one qualifying exam or school certificate. METU publishes minimums, not cut-off scores, and states that meeting them "does not guarantee admission." Decisions are based on a holistic evaluation.
| Route | METU minimum |
|---|---|
School certificate: Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan | 90% |
School certificate: India | 80% |
Saudi Arabia | 90% in the secondary certificate and 90% in Qudurat |
Nigeria (also Ghana, Liberia, Gambia, Sierra Leone) | WAEC SSCE: total of 15 or less across 5 subjects, 3 related to the program |
SAT | 1200; engineering, architecture and science programs also need Math 700 |
ACT / IB Diploma | 27 / 33 |
A levels |
How to apply to METU
1
Check your route against the table above. SAT and TR-YÖS results are valid for two years.
2
Prepare your English. A certificate is optional at application but strengthens it. To skip the prep year, you need TOEFL iBT 75, PTE Academic 65 or 60 in METU's own EPE exam.
3
Collect documents: photo, passport data page, school certificate (or a provisional one), transcripts for all school years and your exam results.
4
Apply yourself on the METU online portal. Use a personal e-mail, but not Hotmail, Live or Outlook. After uploading, "freeze" the application, or it will not be reviewed.
5
Watch the calendar. In the last cycle, the main window ran June 1 – July 12, plus an extra period on August 26–28. METU publishes dates for each intake closer to the start.
6
Legalize your school certificate. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain use an apostille. Nigeria, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan need consular legalization: education ministry, foreign ministry, then the Turkish consulate. Add a notarized Turkish translation.
YÖK, the Turkish higher education council, also requires universities to ask for a financial guarantee. METU does not publish a fixed amount, so check it when you apply. For all routes into Turkish universities, see our admission requirements guide.
What to know before you apply
- METU does not work with agencies. The university states that applicants must apply individually. No agency, including AcademGo, can apply for you or offer a special channel. We help you assess your chances, prepare documents and test scores, and plan alternatives.
- IELTS taken on or after December 24, 2022 is not accepted. Book TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic; results are valid for two years.
- Without an accepted English score, you take METU's EPE exam after admission. If you fail, you spend a year in the English prep class.
Middle East Technical University rankings and accreditation
METU is ranked 351–400 in the THE World University Rankings. Its best THE subject is Education Studies (#93); Engineering is in the 201–250 band and Computer Science in 251–300. In the QS World University Rankings, METU is #305, after #=269 a year earlier.
According to METU, all 13 bachelor's programs in its Faculty of Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. If you plan to work as an engineer at home, check your country's recognition rules before you apply.
Housing and student life
METU has 19 dormitories and guest houses, and around 7,000 students live on campus, according to the university. Most dormitories are single-sex. Monthly rent is fixed in lira:
| Room type | Monthly fee |
|---|---|
4-person room (Dormitories 3–7) | 2,812 TL |
4-person room (İsa Demiray, Faika Demiray, Refika Aksoy) | 4,187 TL |
2-person room (İsa Demiray, Faika Demiray, Refika Aksoy) | 5,504 TL |
Dormitory 19 (2+2) | 6,309 TL |
According to METU, international students pay the same dormitory fees as Turkish students. You apply after registration, places are allocated by score in weekly rounds, and a place is not guaranteed. Students must be inside the dormitory by midnight.
The campus has indoor and outdoor pools, gyms, sports fields and a 24/7 medical and counseling center. Ring buses run inside the campus, and the metro and buses reach central Ankara from 07:00 to midnight.
Student visa and residence permit
Citizens of Pakistan, India, Nigeria and Egypt need a visa. The e-Visa is for tourism and business, so the safest option is a student visa from a Turkish consulate. Saudi and UAE citizens enter visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180.
After enrollment, you apply for a student residence permit on e-ikamet and submit documents through the university. The card costs 964 TL, with no extra permit fee for students, and processing takes up to 90 days. Bachelor's students can work only from the second year, part-time and with a work permit. Details are in our student visa and residence permit guide.
Other options in Turkey
If your grades are below METU's thresholds, or you want medicine or IELTS-based admission, private universities are the usual plan B. English-taught bachelor's programs at most private universities cost roughly $4,000–10,000 a year. Compare Bahçeşehir University, Altınbaş University and Istanbul Medipol University, or another state option, Istanbul University. The full picture is in our guide to 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 grades are strong enough for METU? Send us your school certificate and test scores. We will check them against METU's official minimums, tell you honestly where you stand, and compare two or three alternatives in Turkey that fit your budget. The first consultation is free: write to us through the contact form, WhatsApp or Telegram.
