PhD

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International postgraduate applications to all Turkish universities are managed by Turkish University Admission Service and can guide you through the entire university application process.

Each Turkish University sets its own admission criteria and decides which applicants meet those criteria. Therefore, applications by degree-seeking international students to a postgraduate program must be made directly to the Student İnternational Office of the university.

A PhD course in Turkey follows the successful completion of an undergraduate and postgraduate degree, this means international students can save time, money and begin their career much quicker with a highly regarded Turkish PhD degree.


Admission Requirements to Study in Turkey

Everyone is welcomed to study in Turkey as Turkish universities charge relatively affordable tuition fees and the quality of education is recognizable of international standard.

In order to gain admission into any of the Turkish universities, it is expected of international applicants to satisfy certain qualification requirements. But the focus here basically is on the requirements for international applicants going in for PhD programs.


PhD Program Requirements

PhD program-requirements-lists in most Turkish universities invariably are all similar. But when it comes to PhD programs, the requirements for admission are decided on by the individual department to which the student directly applies and not by the general institutional administration.

In most cases, some departments will request to meet with the applicant for a personal interview before deciding on whether the applicant will be admitted.

Detailed information on PhD program admission requirements in Turkish universities.


What are the requirements?

Most universities usually base their admissions decisions on a student’s academic record and applicable test scores, such as TOEFL, the GRE/GMAT.

The accepted documents for postgraduate programs are listed as follow:

  • Turkish University Admission Service Online Application Form
  • Application Fee (The fee for each application ranges $250. This pays for processing your application and is non-refundable, even if you aren’t admitted to the university.)
  • Valid Passport Copy
  • Undergraduate and Postgraduate diploma
  • An official Undergraduate and Postgraduate transcript
  • A statement of purpose (Personal Statement)
  • Research Proposal
  • An updated resume (Cv)
  • Reference letters (Some universities require recommendation letters to be received from your professors about your qualities.)
  • Graduate Exam Scores (Additionally, not all but some universities will ask for good scores on either the GRE or the GMAT, depends on each university.)
  • Language Proficiency Score (The required score from language exams will still depend on the school to which applicant applies. Students who are not able to take one of the international language tests (TOEFL, IELTS, PEARSON etc.) or national language tests (YDS, E-YDS, YÖKDİL) may take the university's proficiency test upon arrival.
  • Written exams and/or interviews (In addition to the postgraduate examinations, departments may require additional admission examinations or interviews that are periodically announced by the office of the pertinent postgraduate program.)

Having enlisted all the necessary requirements for enrolling in a PhD program in any Turkish university.


Intake periods/deadlines

Generally, admission calendars for most turkey universities are the same. Intake periods for admission start in December of the previous year and runs through to August in the succeeding/subsequent year.

September is usually a month set aside for aspiring students to sit for the necessary intake exams. Some universities usually accept applications by the end of June for Fall Semester. But some Universities offer programs in the spring semester and receive applications by the end of December for Spring Semesters.

Most universities encourage international students to contact them at least one year before they plan to enter that University. Then they could have a plenty of time to fulfil the requirements on time.


Who can apply?

International applicants who have an postgraduate diploma equivalent to Turkish diplomas and who meet the application criteria stated above may apply for a PhD program in Turkey. Applicants must complete their previous degree programs by the admission period at the latest.


How to apply for a Program

By estimate, there are around 206 universities in Turkey, most of which are state universities while the rest are private universities.

Applying for programs in any of the existing Turkish universities is quite an easy process owing to the availability of a good number of useful admission inquiry websites that can offer an aspiring applicant a good guide Turkish University Admission Service, in a nutshell, below are the basic steps to follow when applying for programs in Turkish universities;

  • With the aid of websites such as the one provided above or through some local admission processing Turkish University Admission Service representative agent in your country, find a suitable PhD degree program you would love to study in Turkey.
  • Put together all the required documents under the advisement of the agent handling your admission processing or you can as well follow the detailed requirement information provided by the website.
  • Submit your application through Turkish University Admission Service platform online admission system on the website
  • After completing your application, it is important to submit all the required documents into Turkish University Admission Service account. Ensure documents arrive intact before the admission deadline. Ascertain deadline in the admission calendar.
  • If your application into the university of your choosing eventually turns out successful, the university will issue acceptance documents which will aid your visa application.
  • After completing the above steps successfully, the next thing is to put things in order with respect to your traveling and accommodation.

If you wish to learn more about studying a postgraduate degree in Turkey, could you please arrange consultation with Turkish University Admission Service.

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