Türkiye Bursları: How the Scholarship Works, Who Wins It and What to Do If You Don't
Full tuition, a monthly stipend, housing and a year of Turkish. About 5,000 awards a year for roughly 200,000 applicants. Here is the full picture.
Türkiye Bursları is the Turkish government's scholarship for international students. It covers tuition, a monthly stipend, a dormitory place, health insurance, a one-year Turkish course and your flights. It is run by YTB, a Turkish government agency, and you apply online through its TBBS portal. Applying is free, and it is open to citizens of any country at bachelor's, master's and PhD level.
It is also one of the most competitive scholarships in the world. Recently the program received about 200,000 applications in a single year, a record. It funds about 5,000 new international students a year. That means roughly 1 in 25 to 1 in 40 applicants is selected.
Below: what it pays, who can apply, how selection works and the rules once you win. Plus the part most guides skip: a realistic plan B, so a rejection in August does not cost you a year. For the wider picture, see our guide to studying in Turkey.
What the Turkey government scholarship covers
The full-time scholarship is a complete package, not only a tuition waiver. YTB also chooses your university and program from the options you list.
What you get as a full-time scholar
- Tuition fees at the Turkish university you are placed at.
- A monthly stipend, paid into a Turkish bank account: 6,500 TL for associate and bachelor's students, 9,500 TL for master's and 13,000 TL for PhD.
- Accommodation. Bachelor's students get a paid dormitory place, usually a state KYK dormitory, for the whole program. Master's and PhD students get one in year 1, then can rent privately with a housing allowance of 6,000 TL a month in Istanbul and Ankara, or 5,000 TL elsewhere.
The stipend is set in Turkish lira, so its value depends on the exchange rate. The scholarship runs for 1 year of Turkish plus the standard length of your program: usually 4 years for a bachelor's, 5 for dentistry, 6 for medicine, 2 for a master's and 4 for a PhD. An English preparatory year, if needed, adds up to 1 more year. Top applicants can qualify for the Merit Scholarship, which pays double the standard stipend.
Eligibility: age, grades and who cannot apply
| Level | Age limit | Minimum grade |
|---|---|---|
Associate and bachelor's | Under 21 | 70% |
Bachelor's in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy | Under 21 | 90% |
Master's | Under 30 | 75% |
PhD | Under 35 | 75% |
Research Scholarship | Under 50 | — |
Final-year students can apply if they will graduate by August. You cannot apply if you are a Turkish citizen or a former one. You also cannot apply if you are already enrolled at a Turkish university at the level you are applying for.
Türkiye Scholarships does not fund master's or PhD programs in health sciences. Medicine, dentistry and pharmacy are funded only at bachelor's level.
A standard application does not require SAT, GRE or TR-YÖS. Upload national exam results if you have them; other exams are needed only if your program asks for them. English-taught programs require an international English certificate.
The Merit Scholarship has higher bars. Bachelor's applicants need an average of at least 90% plus one of: SAT 1350 (1400 with Math 680 for engineering) or IB 33, together with TOEFL iBT 80 or IELTS 6.5; a top-10 rank in their national exam; or an international olympiad medal. Master's and PhD applicants need at least 90%, a GRE or ALES score and TOEFL iBT 90 or IELTS 7.0.
How to apply for Türkiye Bursları: steps and timeline
The main call opens once a year, from 10 January to 20 February. In recent years, YTB published the call in late December. Check the dates on turkiyeburslari.gov.tr before you apply.
Application steps, based on recent cycles
Prepare documents (October to December): passport or ID, a photo taken within the last year, diploma or provisional certificate, transcript, and any test or language certificates your programs require. PhD applicants add a research proposal and a writing sample.
Apply online in TBBS (10 January to 20 February). Write your letter of intent and rank up to 12 university and program choices from the list the system offers you. Citizens of Islamic Development Bank member countries can also tick the Joint Scholarship Programs box.
Preliminary check. YTB checks your grade, age and whether your file is complete. Incomplete files stop here.
Expert evaluation (March to April). A committee reviews your record, goals, letter of intent, activities and how well your choices fit together, then shortlists applicants for interview.
Test and interview (April to June). Interviews are face to face, in more than 100 countries, and usually last 15 to 30 minutes. Bachelor's applicants first take a 30-question test in math, geometry and logic, 60 minutes, on the same day. The format differs in some countries. Bring originals of all your documents.
Citizens of Pakistan, India, Nigeria and Egypt need a visa for Turkey, and for study a student visa from a Turkish consulate is recommended. After arrival, you apply for a residence permit through your university. See our student visa and residence permit guide.
When to apply for Türkiye Bursları
Selection cycle, based on recent years
Late December
Next call expected
In recent years YTB published the call in late December.
10 January – 20 February
Applications in TBBS
The main call opens once a year and applying is free.
March – April
Expert evaluation
A committee reviews your record, goals and choices, then shortlists applicants for interview.
April – June
Test and interview
Face-to-face interviews of 15–30 minutes; bachelor's applicants take a 60-minute test the same day.
Early August
Results
Results come only weeks before the September start, so run a plan B in parallel.
September
Arrival in Turkey
You sign the scholarship agreement, get your student visa and arrive in September.
Let's review your case in a free consultation
We will match a country, university and programme to your documents and budget, and explain deadlines and the visa.
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Your real chances
| Year | Applications | Countries |
|---|---|---|
2024 | 121,830 | 170 |
2025 | 125,668 | 171 |
2026 | about 200,000 | — |
YTB says it funds about 5,000 new international students a year, and around 15,000 scholars are studying now. By our estimate, that puts the success rate at about 2–4%, or 1 in 25–40 applicants. YTB publishes no official acceptance rate and no award numbers by country, so be wary of anyone quoting country quotas.
What the committee officially looks at:
- your grades and previous qualifications;
- how well your 12 choices fit your background and goals;
- your letter of intent and career plans;
What to know in advance
- You do not pick one university. YTB places you, based on the up to 12 options you rank.
- The Turkish year is mandatory even if your degree is taught in English. You must reach C1 by the end of it.
- Graduate programs in health sciences are not funded at all.
Scholar obligations: what can cut or cancel your scholarship
Winning is not the end of the selection. These rules come from YTB's scholarship regulations. Read them before you sign.
Turkish comes first. Unless you hold a C1 certificate, you study Turkish for a year at a TÖMER center: 960 hours plus 140 hours of academic Turkish. No C1 after that year means your stipend is frozen until you get it. No C1 by the end of year 2 means cancellation. Missing more than 20 hours a month cuts the stipend by 25% for 3 months, and more than 100 hours of unexcused absence cancels it.
Grades are checked every year. For bachelor's students, a CGPA below 2.00 (out of 4.00) or repeating a year cuts the stipend by 50% from the next year. If it happens again, the scholarship is cancelled, unless you can still graduate in your final year. Full payment resumes once results recover. Master's and PhD scholars face their own deadlines for credits and qualifying exams.
Other rules to know
- More than 2 months of unexcused absence in a semester cancels the scholarship.
- You must study where you are placed. Transfers need YTB approval.
- You cannot hold another scholarship from an international organization or another Turkish public body.
Plan B if you are not selected for the Turkey scholarship
The biggest trap is the plan "I will enroll privately now and apply for the scholarship later." Once you are enrolled at a Turkish university at a given level, you can no longer apply for Türkiye Bursları at that level. The fix is to apply in parallel. The scholarship runs January to February, while private universities usually accept applications until summer or autumn. If you win the scholarship, you withdraw from the paid place before enrolling.
Reapplying next year is possible, but for a bachelor's you must still be under 21.
| Option | What it offers | Cost or terms |
|---|---|---|
Private university discounts (example: Istanbul Medipol University) | 15% country scholarship for citizens of Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Egypt, Bangladesh and others; SAT discounts; 10% for paying the year in one payment | Discounts are listed separately; ask the university how they combine |
Low-fee state universities (example: METU) | English-taught degrees at a state university | Bachelor's for international students about $1,600–2,400 a year |
State universities in general (example: Istanbul University) | Wide choice of programs | Roughly $500–4,000 a year for most programs; medicine and law at top universities up to about $10,000 |
Success Scholarship | Monthly stipend for high achievers already studying in Turkey at their own expense |
At Istanbul Medipol University, SAT 1400+ gives 10% off English-taught medicine, dentistry and pharmacy; for other programs, SAT discounts range from 5% (1100–1240) to 15% (1410–1600). GCC nationals are not on the country-discount list, and next year's terms are not yet published. Among state universities, see METU and Istanbul University; each sets its own entry criteria, explained in our admission requirements guide.
How we help
No agency can influence the selection committee. We make sure your application is as strong as your profile allows and that you are not left without a place in August.
What AcademGo does for scholarship applicants
- A free first consultation: we review your grades, age and goals against the official criteria.
- Help ranking your 12 choices so they fit your background and each other.
- Feedback on your letter of intent and documents before the deadline.
Motivation letter: template and a paragraph-by-paragraph guide
A ready skeleton in English with a note on what each paragraph has to do, plus the mistakes that make a letter useless.
- Where a letter is really required and where it is not
- A five-paragraph template with example wording
- How to strengthen it with specifics and numbers
- Seven mistakes and a checklist before you send
Not sure the scholarship is realistic for you? Send us your grades and goals. We will assess your chances against the official criteria and build a parallel plan B with universities that fit your budget. The first consultation is free. Contact us via the form, WhatsApp or Telegram.
