The Turkish National Education System consists of 3 stages:
Children in Türkiye can attend non-compulsory preschool education before the compulsory primary school education. State and private preschools are available.
Compulsory education for children starts with the primary education at the age of 5½ and comprises elementary (4 years) and middle school (4 years) education. At the end of the compulsory primary education, students take standardized exams to qualify for various secondary schools. The length of secondary education is also 4 years and divided into two categories; General High School Education and Vocational and Technical High School Education. State and private primary and secondary schools are available.
The higher education system in Türkiye is supervised by the Council of Higher Education (CoHE). The CoHE is an autonomous institution which is responsible for the planning, coordination and governance of higher education system in Türkiye in accordance with the Turkish Constitution and the Higher Education Laws. Universities decide upon their own academic calendars; however, academic year generally starts in September and ends in June. There are winter and summer breaks. Summer school is also available at some universities.
Turkish universities offer:
Associate's Degree Programs
They take 2 years. Vocational high school graduates can qualify for associate’s degree programs without taking any centralized exams.
Bachelor’s Degree Programs
They generally take 4 years. Specialized bachelor’s degree programs, such as medicine (6 years), may be longer.
Graduate Programs
Universities in Türkiye offer a wide range of graduate programs. While master’s programs take about 2 years (non-thesis master’s programs generally take 1½ years), doctoral programs take about 4 years.
Post-graduate Programs
Duration depends on the program and university.
The National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Türkiye (TYYÇ) developed with reference to the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area and the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning was adopted by the Council of Higher Education in 2010. The levels of the TYYÇ with reference to the European overarching qualifications frameworks as well as that to ECTS credits and student workload are shown here.
For admissions, exchange programs and financial issues, please click.
For booklet containing essentials about higher education system in Türkiye please click.
- TED Ankara College Foundation Schools (38 branches in various cities)
- METU College (Ankara - Denizli - Kayseri - Mersin)
- İDV Özel Bilkent Schools (Ankara)
- BÜMED MEÇ Schools (İstanbul)
- The Koç School (İstanbul)
- Tevfik Fikret Schools (Ankara)
- Privatschule der Deutschen Botschaft (Ankara)
- YTUSchools