International Students - Registrar’s and Student Affairs Directorate

International Students

Eligibility to Apply as an International Student

The criteria outlined below are determined by the Higher Education Council of Türkiye.

Students who are in their senior year at high school or who graduated from high school and who satisfy at least one of the below criteria may apply as international students.

Students with foreign nationality,
Students who were Turkish citizens by birth but ceased to be a citizen by the courtesy of the Ministry of Interior (applicant has to certify that he/she holds the official document regarding the use of rights granted by Turkish Citizenship Law),
Students who were registered as minors on the document stating that the parent has ceased to be a Turkish citizen as explained above (applicant has to certify that he/she holds the official document regarding the use of rights granted by Turkish Citizenship Law),
Foreign nationals who have taken Turkish citizenship / dual citizens within this context,
Turkish citizens who began high school before 1 Feb 2013 abroad and who completed the last 3 years of high school education abroad (except in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – TRNC),
Turkish citizens who began high school after 1 Feb 2013 abroad and who completed the entire high school education abroad (except in TRNC),
Turkish citizens who completed the entire high school education abroad (except in TRNC) in one of the Turkish schools recognized by the Ministry of Education,
TRNC citizens who reside in TRNC and who completed their high school education in TRNC and who have taken the GCE AL exam,
TRNC citizens who enrolled in high schools abroad (except in Türkiye and in TRNC) between 2005-2010 and who have taken/will take the GCE AL exam.

Students who cannot apply as international students:

Turkish citizens who have completed their entire high school education in Türkiye or in TRNC,
TRNC citizens (except in cases explained above),
Dual nationality applicants whose first nationality is Turkish by birth (except cases explained above),
Applicants who hold dual nationality one of which is TRNC (except in incases explained above),
Turkish citizens or dual-nationality students whose first nationality is Turkish by birth who studied in foreign schools in Türkiye or in schools within the context of embassies in Türkiye.

Undergraduate Programs offered and English Preparatory Year admission

International students may directly begin one of the 22 undergraduate programs to which they are offered admission or be admitted into our English Language Center (ELC) preparatory year.

Since English is the language of instruction at Koç University, it is essential that you demonstrate competence in the language:

Students who submit a valid English Proficiency Exam Result will be exempted from the English Language Center (ELC) and will directly begin their undergraduate courses. Please note below the minimum scores required:
TOEFL: iBT 80 WRT 20
YDS/eYDS: 80 (Yabancı Dil Sınavı – only for Turkish applicants)
PTE: 67
CAE/CPE: C

Students who can’t satisfy the minimum English proficiency required (as detailed above) but are deemed academically fit will be offered admission into our ELC 1 year program.

Please note: it is not sufficient to have proficiency in English. International students are also expected to satisfy the minimum acceptable scores or diploma grades in the exams or diplomas listed in the Acceptable Exams and Diplomas and Minimum Eligibility Scores and Grades section.

Tuition and Scholarships

Click here for the designated tuition for the 2021-2022 academic year.

This fee covers tuition and registration and also allows full use of the library, computer laboratories, and infirmary services. This fee does not cover campus dormitory accommodation, meals, books or other living expenses.

Scholarships for International Undergraduate Students

Every academic year the committee that evaluates international undergraduate applications may offer a limited number of tuition scholarships (25, 50%, 75%, 100%) to outstanding candidates based on academic merit.

Merit scholarships are awarded on the consideration of all academic and extra-curricular documents and information that demonstrate outstanding performance and potential. There are no specific test scores or GPAs that automatically award a full or partial merit scholarship.

Please visit international.ku.edu.tr for detailed information about country-specific scholarships and other externally funded scholarships in Türkiye.

Online Application

To submit the online application form, you will need to upload ALL the documents below as relevant:

Copy of one of the acceptable international test score reports or diploma grades, if available. Please refer to the Acceptable Exams and Diplomas and Minimum Eligibility Scores and Grades section for a complete list. Applying with a test score or a diploma not included in this list significantly diminishes your admission chances.
Motivation letter: this is a written expression of your qualities as an applicant and will often be a very important way for Faculty members to understand why you are an appropriate candidate for their program
At least (2) letters of recommendation in English
If available, a copy of your High School Diploma and its Turkish translation if the original diploma is not in English. Please refer to Certifying Copies of your Original Documents section for more information
Copy of your official high school transcripts for every grade attended,
A copy of the score report of one of the acceptable English language proficiency tests (optional). Please see Proficiency in English section for details.
For Law and Nursing program candidates only, a copy of the Turkish language proficiency exam score. Please see Proficiency in Turkish section.
Non-refundable application fee: Koç University charges 250 Turkish Lira (TL) for undergraduate international applications for the Fall 2022 admission intake. You will find the instructions on how to pay the application fee on the application form using a credit card. There are no application fee waivers for undergraduate international applications for Fall 2022 admission. If you do not pay the application fee, your application will not be evaluated.

*Applications with missing documents will not be taken into consideration. It is the applicant’s responsibility to upload complete and accurate documents before the respective application deadline.

Please note that all documents should be uploaded to the online application form in PDF file format (.pdf), each file should be less than 60 MB in size and include no Turkish or other special characters in the file name.

Make sure you indicate a 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of program in the online application form so that if you are not offered admission to your 1st choice program you will still be evaluated for your 2nd and 3rd choice. If offered admission to your 2nd or 3rd choice, you can still consider applying for internal transfer to your primary choice of program after your Freshman year. Please note that Koç University also offers the possibility to do double majors and minors for all undergraduate students.

Please click here to start a new application.

Application Deadlines and Admission Announcements

Fall 2023 Application period for all undergraduate programs except Medicine for international applicants

Applications will open: 01 January 2023

Applications will close (deadline):

- Regular: 01 July 2023
- Late: 31 August 2023

**There are no disadvantages to applying in the late application period with regards to admission or scholarship decisions, however, it is likely that you will not be eligible to apply for dormitory housing if you receive an admission offer letter and accept your offer after 31 August, 2023.

Fall 2023 Application period for Medicine for international applicants

Applications will open: 01 May 2023

Applications will close (deadline): 01 August 2023

Applicants will be informed of the admission decision approximately 4-6 weeks after the application submission date via e-mail.
Do not e-mail the university to ask about your admission decision.

Acceptable Exams and Diplomas – Minimum Scores and Grades

Although you may apply with your national diploma grades and high school transcript, please be informed that the list below covers the most commonly submitted test types by admitted candidates. Consequently, students who cannot provide any of the exams listed below may also be evaluated based on their national high school diploma grades and other credentials but will typically have a significantly lesser chance of admission.

Exam scores older than 2 years at the time of application will not be accepted. However, there is no binding time constraint for diploma grades.

Acceptable Exams and Diplomas

You can access statistics about the test scores of previously admitted international students to Koç University’s undergraduate programs here.

Quotas

Below are the quotas for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Koç University	Quotas
College of Science
Physics (English)	5
Chemistry (English)	5
Mathematics (English)	10
Molecular Biology and Genetics (English)	20
College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Archaeology and History of Art (English)	5
Philosophy (English)	5
Comparative Literature (English)	10
Media and Visual Arts (English)	30
Psychology (English)	45
Sociology (English)	10
History (English)	10
Law School
Law (English)	15
College of Administrative Sciences and Economics
Economics (English)	30
Business Administration (English)	50
International Relations (English)	30
College of Engineering
Computer Engineering (English)	40
Electrical and Electronics Engineering (English)	40
Industrial Engineering (English)	40
Chemical and Biological Engineering (English)	20
Mechanical Engineering (English)	40
School of Medicine
Medicine (English)	25
School of Nursing
Nursing	15

Application Evaluation

Applications are evaluated in terms of academic merit by an Admissions Committee comprised of the Dean of the relevant College, the Dean of Students and the Vice-President of Academic Affairs. Interviews may be held with the candidates via the application portal, if necessary. Please note that evaluation is done on a need-blind basis.

Upon Admission

Once you have made your decision about attending Koç University, you will need to inform the Global Recruitment Team via email (study@ku.edu.tr) of your intent.

Important Notes

For in-person visa applications, certain consulates might require a visa support letter in addition to your admission letter. If you are asked for this document, please email the International Community Services Office immediately at ico@ku.edu.tr to request it. It might take a week for them to prepare and send it to you and the relevant consulate. Therefore, please act on time.
Students below 18 must provide two additional documents for their residence permit applications if they are not required to have a visa to enter Türkiye. Those are Apostilled Birth Certificate and Apostilled Consent Letter from parents. Please mind those documents and read the ICO’s instructions.
Before arriving in Türkiye, you should check the entry types and requirements (visa, e-visa, etc.) depending on your nationality. For more details about your arrival, life in Istanbul, and on campus, please check out the resources on the International Community Services Office (ICO) website.
For essential life-related tips (social and legal) and answers to most of your questions, please read the ICO’s Newcomers’ Guide.

Help for Online Application Form

If you encounter problems completing the online application form, please contact us at study@ku.edu.tr

Contact Info:

E-mail:study@ku.edu.tr

Proficiency in English

Since English is the medium of instruction at Koç University, it is essential that you demonstrate competence in the language. Students who submit a valid English Proficiency Exam Result and/or students who completed the last 3 years of high school education in a country where the official language is English will be exempted from attending the English Language Center (ELC) and will directly begin their undergraduate courses.

However, it is not sufficient to have proficiency in English. Applicants are expected to satisfy the minimum acceptable score or diploma grade for one of those exams or diplomas listed in Acceptable Exams and Diplomas and Minimum Eligibility Scores and Grades (please see above).

Koç University English Proficiency Exam (KUEPE) administered by the ELC

Students who achieve a KUEPE score of 60 or above will be promoted to their academic programs.

External Exam Scores

Students can be exempted from ELC provided that they meet the following minimum score requirements from the external tests below and upload corresponding score reports in the online application:

TOEFL IBT: 80 WRT:20

YDS/eYDS: 80

PTE: 67

CAE/CPE: C

In granting and maintaining equivalence to the English proficiency exams listed above, it is obligatory that the test has been taken within the confines of a state university building.

TOEFL and PTE Home-edition versions and IELTS are not accepted by the Higher Education Council and therefore, we are not able to accept them as an eligible English proficiency test.

Further information is available on ELC’s website at http://elc.ku.edu.tr/home

Proficiency in Turkish

Students who have applied for Law or Nursing programs will directly begin Turkish education if they can prove that -within the framework of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages- their score is C1 or above at TÖMER or Yunus Emre Institute Turkish Proficiency Exam.

The language of instruction at Koç University Faculty of Medicine is English. However, Turkish is spoken when patients are present. Therefore, students whose native language is not Turkish or who do not have sufficient Turkish proficiency to communicate with patients, before starting their second year of medical school, must have a B1 level of Turkish proficiency defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and before beginning their fourth year (Clinical Year 1), they must have a C1 level of Turkish proficiency certificate. This certificate is a prerequisite for starting the fourth year for this group of students, in addition to successfully completing the third year.

Certifying Copies of your Original Documents

The required copies of school certificates and/or degrees should be certified by the issuing institution or notary public offices as genuine copies of the original.

All documents other than Turkish or English should be translated in either of these languages by an accredited translation office and the copies should be submitted.

Please note that the required documents for registration without original statements or certified evidence of study results will not be taken into consideration. The diplomas and transcripts should be officially translated by an accredited translator and the translation should be attached to the original.

On the day of enrollment, the student should provide the original of all the documents or their certified copies to the Registrar’s Office.

Important Note on the Use of Agents or Educational Agencies

Koç University partners with a selected group of third-party agents or educational agencies to provide advice and support on the suitability of our academic programs and the application process. However, it is not necessary to engage an agent in order to have a strong chance of admission to Koç University. Admission decisions are not based on the recommendations of agents.

Koç University expects an application to be the work of the applicant and that all information on the application is complete, accurate and truthful. We may reject application materials, cancel an admissions offer or dismiss a student from attendance if it is determined that application materials have been falsified.

You can see a list of authorized partner agencies in your country here.