Masters in Turkey

Are you interested in pursuing a master's degree in Turkey?

Initially, you should know that public universities set rules and conditions for admission, which vary from one university to another. However, we assure you that the criterion for accepting students in these universities is based on priority for students with the highest academic and international test scores, while each university determines the required scores in these tests. Additionally, some universities require a specific undergraduate degree score as a minimum for admission, and some also require that the student provides a proficiency certificate in either English or Turkish.

In this context, we present to you in the following few lines the conditions for studying for a master’s degree in Turkey, the duration of study, and information about studying for a master’s degree in Turkey.

Conditions for studying for a master's in Turkey

Firstly, a student wishing to study for a master’s degree at Turkish public universities must pass the Graduate Aptitude Test known as the ALES exam. The student applies to the faculty and department they wish to study in after the ALES results are out. For more information about the ALES exam, please visit the following link [click here]

Important Note: The validity of the ALES test result is three years from its issuance, and this test is not mandatory for those wishing to join the faculties of fine arts or the music institute.

This is according to the specialty and department required, and only a limited number of universities require these certificates in English, where the student’s average bachelor’s degree grades, ALES test, and any additional test that may be requested by the department to which you apply are accredited. (This is usually requested from students who completed their bachelor’s degree in Turkey).

What about students who studied their bachelor's degree outside Turkish universities?

They must provide international aptitude tests such as the GMAT or the GRE exam

For more information about these international tests, please visit the following link GMAT test [click here] GRE test [click here]

It is worth mentioning that some departments conduct personal interviews with applicants for graduate studies to select the most competent among them after reviewing the aforementioned results, knowing that the duration of study at the master’s level in Turkey is two academic years with a thesis. There are some departments in Turkey that offer master’s programs that do not require writing a thesis and have a duration of one and a half years.

Do conditions differ from one university to another?

Yes, each university’s requirements differ from others depending on the specialty and the scores required from each certificate, and there are specific scores for the acceptance of certificates or test scores taken by the student.

It is also worth mentioning that some departments conduct personal interviews with applicants for graduate studies and select the most competent among them after reviewing the previously mentioned test results.

Duration of studying for a master’s in Turkey

The duration of study at the master’s level in Turkey is two academic years with a thesis (dissertation). There are some departments in Turkey that include master’s programs that do not require writing a dissertation and have a duration of study of one and a half years.

Required documents for those wishing to join public universities - Master's in Turkey:

Translated passport photo and notarized by a notary
Personal photo
High school diploma with grade transcript Bachelor’s degree with grade transcript
Two recommendation letters Curriculum
Vitae Motivation letter
Language proficiency certificate (if available) if the university mandatorily requires it from the student.
There are some universities that also require other local tests in English such as: ÜDS, which is a local English test some universities require, and it is advisable to refer first to the university to know what it requires.
ALES test result for those who studied their bachelor’s degree in Turkey GMAT test, and GRE test result instead of ALES test result for those who studied their bachelor’s degree outside Turkey Must be accompanied by an original copy, authenticated by a notary. Note that the minimum accepted score in this test by the Higher Education Council is 55, although some departments may overlook this score.
Receipt of registration application payment “For foreign students who completed their bachelor’s degree in their country, a photo of the equivalence of the bachelor’s degree certificate by the Turkish Ministry of Education authenticated by a NOTARY will be required.” Photo of the Turkish language completion certificate authenticated by a notary.
A Photo of the study visa obtained from Turkish embassies translated into Turkish and authenticated by a notary.
A document proving that the student does not suffer from any diseases issued by an official authority from

Note: The above requirements are comprehensive; however, some universities may request additional documents, while others may only require some of them.