Türkiye Scholarships (Türkiye Bursları) Undergraduate 2027

Türkiye Scholarships (Türkiye Bursları) is the Turkish government’s scholarship programme for international students, run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, known as YTB. The undergraduate strand pays for a full bachelor’s degree at a Turkish university, along with a year of Turkish language classes, a dormitory place, health cover, flights and a monthly stipend. Unusually, the scholarship and the university place come together: you list the programmes you want on one form, and if you win, YTB places you.

Applications are free and made online through the Türkiye Scholarships application system (TBBS). The programme’s calendar gives 10 January to 20 February as the main application window every year, with study starting the following September (checked 9 October 2026 on the official calendar). The 2027 call has not been formally opened yet, so treat the dates as the standing pattern and check again in early January.

What the scholarship pays

Item	What undergraduates receive (checked 9 October 2026)
Tuition	University tuition and the Turkish preparatory course fees, paid by Türkiye Scholarships
Monthly stipend	6,500 Turkish lira a month for associate and bachelor’s students, paid into a Turkish bank account
Accommodation	A state dormitory place for the whole of your studies, with the fees covered
Health	General health insurance, which gives free treatment at public hospitals
Flights	One ticket to Türkiye at the start and one home after graduation
Turkish language	One year of Turkish classes at a university language centre (TÖMER)

The stipend is low by European standards and is meant to sit alongside free housing and treatment, not to pay rent. A separate track inside the programme, the Merit Scholarship, pays twice the regular stipend. It asks for a weighted average of 90%, a qualifying SAT or International Baccalaureate score and an English score of at least TOEFL iBT 80 or IELTS 6.5.

Payments are made monthly in arrears, so the January stipend arrives on 1 February. YTB’s procedures guide says a student who misses more than 20 hours of Turkish classes in a month loses a quarter of the stipend for the next three months, and one who misses more than 100 hours without a valid reason can lose the scholarship altogether.

Who can apply at bachelor’s level

• Citizens of any country except Türkiye. People who have given up Turkish citizenship are also excluded
• Under 21 at bachelor's level
• At least 70% in your school-leaving results, or 90% if you are applying for medicine, dentistry or pharmacy
• Graduated, or due to graduate by the end of the current academic year (before August)
• Not already enrolled at a Turkish university at the level you are applying for

If your school uses international qualifications such as the SAT or GCSEs instead of a national exam, you need to show the minimum secondary results those qualifications require.

How selection works

YTB assesses applicants on academic results, activities outside class and motivation for the chosen field. The stages below are the ones its evaluation page describes; the months come from the standing calendar.

1. 10 Jan to 20 FebApply online through TBBS. Upload your documents and list your programme preferences.
2. March to AprilPreliminary check of grades, age and documents, then an expert committee reviews each eligible file: academic record, interests, career goals, how consistent your choices are, your letter of intent and your activities. This produces the list invited to the next stage.
3. April to JuneA written test and an interview, usually on the same day, often run by delegations sent to your country.
4. Early AugustResults announced. A selection committee reviews the interview results and confirms the final list.
5. August to SeptemberAcceptance procedures, visa, and travel to Türkiye.

The undergraduate test has 30 multiple-choice questions on mathematics, geometry and logic, with 60 minutes to answer. Applicants for health sciences, science and engineering all take it, and social science applicants sit it too, though their scores are compared only with others in the same field. Some questions come in Turkish and English, and YTB expects science and engineering applicants to read English well enough to follow them. A few countries use longer papers: Azerbaijan has a 50-question version, and countries with very high application numbers, such as Afghanistan and Sudan, may sit 80 to 100 questions. YTB publishes sample questions with an answer key on the same page, which is the best preparation you will find.

Interviews last 15 to 30 minutes in front of a panel of academics and experts. Expect a document check, then questions on why you applied, what you know about your subject and where you want it to lead. Bring originals of every certificate from your most recent schooling. Our guide to scholarship panel interviews covers the questions most panels ask.

How long it lasts

The scholarship covers the Turkish year plus the normal length of the degree: four years for subjects such as law and international relations, five for dentistry and six for medicine. Students who need longer can ask for up to one extra year, or two on pass-fail programmes such as medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, with proof from the university that they can finish. During an extension the stipend is cut by half.

Applying through TBBS

1. Check your marks against the 70% or 90% threshold and confirm your age.
2. Create an account on the Türkiye Scholarships application system and choose your programmes. Your placement is drawn from the choices you make here, so research each university and city before listing it.
3. Upload a valid passport or national identity card, a photo taken within the last year, your diploma or a temporary graduation certificate, your transcript and any national exam results. Add SAT, IB or language test scores only if a programme you choose asks for them.
4. Write the letter of intent the expert committee reads. Tie your choice of subject to something specific you have done or want to do, and keep your programme choices consistent with it; the committee is told to look at how well they fit together.
5. Submit before the deadline. Applications sent by post or delivered by hand are not accepted.

The application costs nothing and is entirely online, so there is no reason to pay anyone to submit it for you. Our guide to writing a motivation letter helps with the letter of intent, and the deadline planner lets you set the January to February window alongside other awards.

Is it the right fit?

The package suits applicants who can live on a modest stipend in a shared dormitory and who will commit to Turkish. Students who want a degree entirely in English, with no language year, will be frustrated by the preparatory programme. You also do not fully control where you end up, because YTB arranges the placement from the choices on your form.

If you are weighing it against other countries, the eligibility checker shows which undergraduate awards on this site match your nationality and age. Confirm every figure and date on the official Türkiye Scholarships site before you apply.