Türkiye Burslari Scholarship 2027: Benefits, Eligibility & Requirements

Most scholarships give you money and leave you to fight for a university place on your own. Türkiye Burslari — formally Türkiye Scholarships — does the opposite. Run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, known as YTB, on behalf of the Republic of Türkiye, it is a single government programme that combines a full scholarship with university and department placement. You apply once, through one free online system, in one annual window. If you are selected, the programme places you at a Turkish university, pays your tuition, pays you a monthly scholarship, provides accommodation, covers your health insurance, funds your flight at the start and at the end of your studies, and gives you a free one-year Turkish language course. That combination — funding plus placement plus language training — is why YTB describes Türkiye Scholarships as one of the most comprehensive scholarship programmes in the world, and why it draws applications from well over a hundred countries every year.

This guide concentrates on the two questions serious applicants ask first: exactly what does the benefit package contain, and exactly who is eligible to receive it? The eligibility rules for Türkiye Burslari are unusually precise. There are hard age caps that differ by study level, and hard minimum academic achievement thresholds that differ by field — 70 percent for undergraduate applicants, 75 percent for master’s and PhD applicants, and 90 percent for health sciences. These are not preferences or guidelines. They are screening criteria applied at the preliminary review, before any expert reads your letter of intent. If you are one year too old or two percentage points too low, the rest of your application is never evaluated. So this article sets the benefits and the requirements out in full, with tables you can check yourself against, before explaining how the application, interview and placement process works.

For the wider programme overview, start with our parent guide to the Türkiye Burslari Scholarship, browse competing awards in our scholarships directory, and explore study destinations in our study abroad section while you decide whether Türkiye is your first-choice destination or part of a wider application strategy.

Türkiye Burslari 2027 at a Glance

The Benefits Package, Item by Item

University and department placement

The benefit applicants consistently undervalue is placement itself. Under Türkiye Burslari you do not first win funding and then apply, university by university, hoping one admits you. In your single TBBS application you list your programme and university preferences — the system allows you to rank a set of preferences, commonly up to twelve university and programme combinations — and YTB’s process matches successful candidates to a university and department. That removes the single largest risk in most scholarship applications, the gap between winning money and winning a seat, and it is the structural feature YTB itself highlights first when explaining why this programme is different from other higher education scholarship programmes.

Placement is not the same as a guarantee of your first preference. Your academic record, your preferences, the consistency of your choices with your background and goals, and your interview performance all shape where you are placed. Choose preferences you would genuinely accept. A candidate placed at a strong university in a neighbouring city who declines because only Istanbul would do has usually declined the scholarship itself, not negotiated a better seat.

Full tuition coverage

The programme covers your university tuition fees for the standard duration of your programme, including, where it applies to you, the Turkish language year. You are not expected to pay tuition and claim it back; tuition is handled within the scholarship arrangements between the programme and the university. This matters particularly for fields such as medicine, dentistry and engineering, where international tuition can otherwise be substantial.

Monthly scholarship by study level

Scholarship holders receive a monthly payment calibrated to their level. The figures published by YTB on its official International Students page — the page linked in the Sources section of this article — are 3,500 TL per month at undergraduate level, 5,000 TL per month at master’s level, 6,500 TL per month at PhD level and 12,000 TL per month under the Research Scholarship Programme. An honest warning belongs beside those numbers: Türkiye Scholarship amounts are revised periodically, older official and unofficial pages carry older, lower figures, and newer summaries in circulation quote higher figures than the YTB departmental page currently displays. Amounts are also paid in Turkish lira, so their value in your home currency moves with exchange rates. For that reason, treat the table below as the YTB-published baseline at the time of writing, and confirm the exact monthly amount for the 2027 cycle on the official Türkiye Scholarships website before you build a budget on it. Never plan your finances around a stipend figure you found only on a blog — including this one.

Accommodation

The programme provides accommodation for students arriving in a country they may never have visited. In practice this generally means a place in student dormitory accommodation arranged within the scholarship system, particularly in the language year and the early period of study. Accommodation is a major cost removed from your budget and a major source of anxiety removed from your arrival: you land in Türkiye with somewhere to live from the first night. The specific dormitory, room type and city arrangements are determined by the programme and your placement, not chosen by the student, and arrangements can change between the language year and the degree years, so read the guidance issued to your cohort carefully.

Round-trip airfare

YTB states that the programme stands with you when you come to Türkiye and when you return to your country at the end of your education, and covers your flight ticket once. In practical terms, scholars receive flight support for the journey to Türkiye at the start and the return journey on completion. It is a once-only benefit at each end, arranged under the programme’s rules and booking procedures — not an open travel allowance and not an annual home-leave ticket. Follow the ticketing instructions issued to selected candidates exactly, and do not buy your own non-refundable ticket before you are told to.

General health insurance

Scholarship holders are covered by health insurance that allows them to benefit from general health services when needed. For a student spending four to six years abroad, this is not a minor line item: it removes the risk that one illness or accident destroys both your studies and your family’s finances. Coverage operates under the Turkish system and the programme’s arrangements, so on arrival, complete any registration steps you are given promptly and learn how to access care in your city before you need it.

Free one-year Turkish language course

Every scholar is offered a one-year Turkish language course, free of charge. If your degree programme is taught in Turkish, this year is essential preparation — you study Turkish full-time, typically at a university Turkish teaching centre, and progress to the proficiency level your faculty requires before your degree begins in earnest. If your programme is taught in English, the language year still transforms your daily life: shopping, bureaucracy, friendships, part-time opportunities and academic sources all open up when you can function in Turkish, which is exactly the reasoning YTB gives for including it. Treat the language year as a funded investment, not a delay. Students who take it seriously start their degrees with a structural advantage over those who coast through it.

Academic, cultural and professional programmes

Beyond the financial package, YTB aims for students to benefit from social, cultural and professional programmes and events during their time in Türkiye. These include academic support activities, cultural trips, seminars and alumni engagement. They will not appear in any stipend table, but scholars consistently find that the network built through them — fellow scholars from more than a hundred countries, plus a large alumni community — is one of the most durable benefits of the award.

Eligibility: The Rules That Screen Your Application First

Nationality

Türkiye Scholarships are open to citizens of all countries, with two exclusions that YTB states plainly on its official page: Turkish citizens are not eligible, and neither are individuals who have lost Turkish citizenship. The programme is an international scholarship, designed for students coming to Türkiye from abroad, and those categories fall outside it by definition.

Age limits — hard caps, checked at preliminary review

These caps are applied as eligibility criteria, not as guidance. Check your age against the cap for your level using the reference point in the current cycle’s official announcement — applicants are typically assessed against a date specified for that application year — and do not rely on being ‘almost’ under the limit. If you are currently just under a cap but your birthday falls before the reference date of the next cycle, applying in the earlier cycle may be the difference between eligibility and exclusion. This is one of the strongest reasons not to postpone a Türkiye Burslari application by a year on a whim.

Minimum academic achievement — 70, 75 and 90 percent

YTB calls these the basic academic success criteria for application, and the preliminary review examines every application against them. Your percentage is calculated from your relevant prior qualifications — for undergraduates, your secondary results; for graduate applicants, your degree results — under the programme’s evaluation methods. Grading systems differ enormously between countries, and YTB’s committees work with equivalences, but you should self-check honestly before applying: if your converted achievement is clearly below the threshold for your level, a Türkiye Burslari application this cycle cannot succeed, and your effort is better spent on programmes whose thresholds you meet — browse our universities directory and rankings to build that wider list. The 90 percent bar for health sciences deserves emphasis: medicine, dentistry and pharmacy are among the most demanded placements in the entire programme, and the threshold reflects that. A health sciences applicant at 82 percent is not ‘close’; under the published criteria, they are ineligible for those faculties.

Graduation status

You must be a graduate, or be due to graduate by the end of the current academic year, for the level required by the programme you are applying to. Final-year students can therefore apply in their last year, on the understanding that they will complete their qualification in time to take up the scholarship. If you will not in fact graduate by then, do not apply on an assumption; a placement you cannot take up because your degree is unfinished helps no one, least of all you.

Who is explicitly not eligible

Beyond Turkish citizens and those who have lost Turkish citizenship, YTB states that individuals currently enrolled in programmes at Turkish universities at the same level of education they would apply for are not eligible. If you are already studying a master’s degree in Türkiye, you cannot use Türkiye Burslari to fund that same level. The programme funds a new course of study in Türkiye for students coming from outside that system, not a change of funder mid-degree. Separate modules, such as the success scholarship arrangements for students already in Türkiye, operate under their own rules and windows — check the official site if that is your situation, rather than forcing yourself into the main competition.

Programmes and Fields of Study

Türkiye Scholarships covers study at all levels and in all fields of education, in YTB’s own words, from health sciences to engineering and from humanities to social sciences. Turkish universities offer a very wide catalogue of associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes, many taught in Turkish and a growing number taught in English or other languages. The language of your programme determines how your language year works and what language evidence, if any, strengthens your file: some English-taught programmes value international test scores, while Turkish-taught programmes rely on the funded language year to bring you to the required level. When you build your preference list in TBBS, read each programme’s language of instruction carefully — it is a four-to-six-year decision, not a detail.

In addition to the full-degree programmes that are this article’s focus, Türkiye Scholarships operates related modules — research scholarships for academics and PhD-stage researchers, and Turkish language programmes for academics and public officials, among others. Those modules have their own eligibility, durations and windows, and their details should be taken from the official site for the module concerned.

How to Apply: The Single Window, Step by Step

Applications are made online and free of charge through the official Türkiye Scholarships website between 10 January and 20 February every year, as published by YTB. There is one window for the main full-degree competition. Miss it, and there is no late round, no waiting list application and no second chance until the following January. Work through these steps:

Step 1 — Create your TBBS account early. Register on the Türkiye Scholarships application system well before you intend to submit, with an email address you check daily. You will use the same account through evaluation, interview invitations and results.

Step 2 — Complete your profile and education history. Enter personal details exactly as they appear in your passport, and your full academic history with the institutions, dates and results that your documents will prove.

Step 3 — Upload the required documents. The system requires the documents specified for your level — identity document or passport, photograph, certificates and transcripts or diploma, and, where applicable, exam results, language certificates and recommendation materials. Upload clean, complete scans in the formats the system accepts.

Step 4 — Write your letter of intent. The expert evaluation explicitly examines the content and comprehensibility of your letter of intent, along with the consistency of your preferences with your background and goals. Write it as the coherent centre of your application, not as an afterthought.

Step 5 — Build and rank your university and programme preferences. Choose preferences that fit your qualifications and that you would genuinely accept, in the order you prefer them. Consistency matters: a preference list that jumps randomly between unrelated fields undermines the story your letter of intent tells.

Step 6 — Review everything, then submit before 20 February. Submit days early. The window closes on a fixed date in Turkish time, the system is busiest in its final days, and an unsubmitted draft is worth nothing.

Step 7 — Prepare for interview if shortlisted. Shortlisted candidates are invited to interview, generally lasting 15 to 30 minutes, covering document checks, your purpose in applying, your academic knowledge and your career goals. If you have not yet graduated, YTB notes that interviewees should bring all transcripts and certificates for the years they have completed.

Required Documents

The exact list is set in the TBBS system for your level and nationality, but applicants should expect to prepare: a valid passport or national identity document; a recent photograph; diploma or graduation certificate, or evidence of final-year status; full transcripts of records; national or international examination results where your education system issues them; language certificates where you hold them; and for graduate applicants, the academic documents, references and research-related materials the system requests for your level. Documents not in Turkish or English may need translation under the rules the system specifies. Prepare everything in December, before the window opens — the six-week window is for applying, not for chasing a transcript from a school office that is closed for a holiday.

Deadlines and Timeline

Selection Criteria and How to Improve Your Chances

YTB publishes its evaluation stages, which makes honest advice possible. The preliminary review is mechanical: minimum grades, age limits, required documents. Pass it by being eligible and complete — nothing else. The expert evaluation is judgement: committees examine academic standing, previous qualifications, academic interests, career goals, consistency of preferences, the content and comprehensibility of the letter of intent, and participation in social activities. Improve your standing here with a letter that connects your record to your preferences to a believable career plan, and with evidence of activity beyond the classroom that is real and verifiable. The interview then tests whether the person matches the file: purpose, academic knowledge and career goals, in 15 to 30 minutes. Prepare by rehearsing answers about your field, your preferences and your plans — aloud, not in your head.

What you cannot do is buy an advantage. Applications are free and made only through the official system. Anyone charging you to apply, or claiming they can influence a YTB committee, is misrepresenting a public process. Compare the structure with sibling government programmes in our guides to Stipendium Hungaricum in Hungary and the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship in France — every legitimate programme in this series publishes its own route, and none of them route through paid intermediaries.

Common Mistakes

Applying while over the age cap. The caps are screening criteria. Check your age against your level before you invest weeks in the application.

Ignoring the 90 percent health sciences bar. Medicine, dentistry and pharmacy applicants need 90 percent, not the 70/75 percent figures quoted for other fields.

Listing preferences you would refuse. Placement follows your preferences and your file. A refused placement is usually a lost scholarship.

An inconsistent file. Preferences that contradict your background and your letter of intent are an explicit negative in expert evaluation.

Starting in February. The window opens on 10 January, but documents, translations and letters should exist before it opens.

Assuming stipend figures from unofficial sites. Amounts are revised; confirm the current cycle’s figures on the official website, as the benefits section of this article explains.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Türkiye Burslari fully funded?

It is one of the most comprehensive government scholarships available: it combines university placement with full tuition coverage, a monthly scholarship, accommodation, health insurance, a flight ticket at the start and end of studies, and a free one-year Turkish language course. You should still budget some personal funds for arrival costs and personal expenses beyond the package.

Do I apply to Turkish universities separately?

No. Placement is part of the programme. You apply once through TBBS, rank your university and programme preferences, and YTB’s process places successful candidates. There is no separate university application for this scholarship.

What are the exact age limits?

As published by YTB: under 21 for undergraduate programmes, under 30 for master’s programmes, under 35 for PhD programmes, and under 50 for the Research Scholarship Programme.

What grades do I need?

Minimum academic achievement of 70 percent for undergraduate candidates, 75 percent for master’s and PhD candidates, and 90 percent for health sciences candidates in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, as published by YTB.

How much is the monthly stipend?

YTB’s official International Students page publishes 3,500 TL per month for undergraduates, 5,000 TL for master’s students, 6,500 TL for PhD students and 12,000 TL for research scholars. Amounts are revised periodically and figures in circulation vary by source and date, so confirm the amount for the 2027 cycle on the official Türkiye Scholarships website before budgeting.

Do I need to speak Turkish before applying?

No prior Turkish is assumed for most applicants, because the package includes a free one-year Turkish language course. Programmes taught in English exist at Turkish universities, and language certificates you already hold can support your file where the system asks for them — but the funded language year is there precisely so that Turkish-taught study is open to beginners.

When can I apply for the 2027 round?

YTB publishes the application period as 10 January to 20 February every year, through the free online TBBS system. Prepare your documents in the preceding autumn so the window is spent applying, not collecting paperwork.

Can I apply if I am already studying in Türkiye?

Not for the same level of study: YTB states that individuals currently enrolled in programmes at Turkish universities at the level they would apply for are not eligible for the main programme. Other modules for students already in Türkiye operate separately — check the official website for those rules.

Sources and Verification

The benefits, age criteria, grade thresholds, application window and evaluation stages in this article are taken from YTB’s official pages — principally the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities page on International Students and Türkiye Scholarships, which publishes the placement, tuition, accommodation, flight, health insurance and language course benefits, the monthly amounts quoted above, the 70/75/90 percent criteria, the under-21/30/35/50 age criteria and the 10 January–20 February application period — and from the official Türkiye Scholarships website at turkiyescholarships.gov.tr, where the current cycle’s announcements and the TBBS application system are found. Where monthly amounts differ between official pages of different dates, this article says so explicitly rather than presenting any single figure as guaranteed.

Disclaimer: Scholarship details, amounts, deadlines and eligibility rules change from cycle to cycle. Always confirm deadlines and amounts on the official website before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, and cannot promise selection, admission or visa approval to any applicant.