The Türkiye Bursları Scholarship (Türkiye Scholarships, often searched as the Turkey Burslari Scholarship) is the Turkish government’s fully funded award for international students at associate, bachelor’s, master’s and PhD level. It is run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and pays your university placement, tuition, a monthly stipend, accommodation, health insurance, a one-year Turkish language course and a flight at the start and end of your studies. Citizens of every country can apply, and applying is free.
The Türkiye Bursları application window opens on 10 January and closes on 20 February every year, so the deadline for 2027 entry is 20 February 2027. The official stipend is now 6,500 TL a month for undergraduates, 9,500 TL for master’s students and 13,000 TL for PhD students. Many listing sites still print the older 4,500, 6,500 and 9,000 TL rates. I checked everything below against turkiyeburslari.gov.tr and YTB on 25 October 2026.
Türkiye Bursları Scholarship at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official name | Türkiye Scholarships (Türkiye Bursları) |
| Run by | Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), Republic of Türkiye |
| Who can apply | Citizens of all countries, except Turkish citizens and former Turkish citizens |
| Levels | Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, plus research and short-term programmes |
| Application portal | Türkiye Scholarships Application System (TBBS), tbbs.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr |
| Programme choices | Up to 12 university and programme preferences |
| Application fee | None |
| Application window | 10 January to 20 February each year |
| Deadline | 20 February 2027 |
| Results | Early August |
| Demand | 125,668 applications from 171 countries in 2025, according to YTB |
With more than 125,000 applicants a year, meeting the minimum rules only gets your file read. Your grades, your letter of intent and your programme choices decide whether a reviewer moves you to interview.
What the Türkiye Bursları Scholarship covers
The full-time programmes page on turkiyeburslari.gov.tr lists seven benefits. Every regular scholar gets all of them.
| Benefit | What you get |
|---|---|
| University placement | YTB places you in one of the programmes you chose; you do not need a separate admission letter |
| Tuition | Paid for the whole programme |
| Monthly stipend | 6,500 TL (undergraduate), 9,500 TL (master’s), 13,000 TL (PhD) |
| Turkish language course | One year, before your degree starts |
| Accommodation | Provided |
| Health insurance | Provided |
| Flights | One ticket at the start of your studies and one at graduation |
Merit Scholarship winners receive twice the regular stipend. The Success and Research scholarships are narrower and the older programme pages say they do not include accommodation.
How long the scholarship lasts
The archive page on what the scholarship covers gives the length as the Turkish course year plus the normal duration of your programme: two more years for a master’s, four more for a PhD, and four to six years for bachelor’s degrees depending on the course. So a medical degree, for example, means seven years in Türkiye in total.
Costs the scholarship does not cover
- Anything you spend before you travel: passport, notarised copies, translations and English tests
- Flights home during holidays, since the award pays only the first and the final journey
- Living costs above the stipend, which run higher in big cities such as Istanbul
- Your family: the award is for you alone, so plan their costs separately if they come
Türkiye Bursları eligibility
Age limits and minimum grades
| Level | Age limit | Minimum grade |
|---|---|---|
| Associate and bachelor’s | Under 21 | 70% |
| Master’s | Under 30 | 75% |
| PhD | Under 35 | 75% |
| Health sciences (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy) | Same as level | 90% |
| Research Scholarship | Under 50 | Set by the programme |
The grade is your overall result from the last completed level: secondary school for bachelor’s applicants, your bachelor’s degree for master’s, and your master’s for PhD. If your country uses a GPA or a class system, convert it honestly. The system asks for your score and its scale, and reviewers see your transcript.
Who can apply
- Nationality: citizens of every country.
- Graduation timing: graduates, and students who will graduate at the end of the current academic year (before August 2027 for this round).
- Researchers and academics: eligible through the research programmes.
Who cannot apply
- Turkish citizens, and people who have lost Turkish citizenship
- Students already enrolled at a Turkish university at the level they are applying for (a student finishing a bachelor’s in Türkiye can still apply for a master’s)
Eligibility edge cases
- Health sciences at graduate level: the full-time programmes page states that Türkiye Scholarships does not award graduate scholarships in health sciences. Undergraduate medicine, dentistry and pharmacy remain open, with the 90% grade rule.
- Awaiting results: final-year students can apply before graduating, but the placement depends on finishing the degree before the academic year starts.
- Self-funded students already in Türkiye: you cannot switch into the regular scholarship at the level you are studying. YTB also runs a separate Success Scholarship, with an October to November window on the official calendar; read its own page to see whether you qualify.
- Equivalence at home: YTB tells you to check whether a Turkish degree in your field is recognised in your country before you apply. Check this most carefully for regulated professions such as law, medicine and teaching.
Language requirements
You do not need Turkish to apply. Most scholars spend their first year on the Turkish language course and must reach the level their programme needs. If you choose English-taught programmes, a TOEFL, IELTS or similar certificate helps, and some programmes ask for SAT or GRE scores. The system shows you only the programmes that match your background.
The Merit Scholarship: double stipend for top applicants
The Merit Scholarship sits inside the same call. It pays double the monthly stipend and asks for a 90% overall grade at every level, plus test scores and at least one extra achievement, such as a top-10 national exam ranking or a medal from a recognised international science olympiad (bachelor’s applicants only).
| Level | Academic test | Language test |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s | SAT 1400 (Math 680) for engineering, SAT 1350 for other fields, or IB 33 | TOEFL iBT 80 or IELTS 6.5 |
| Master’s | ALES 75 to 80 depending on field, or GRE Quantitative 155 (engineering) or 153 | TOEFL iBT 90 or IELTS 7.0 |
| PhD | ALES 75 to 85 depending on field, or GRE Quantitative 160 (engineering) or 157 | TOEFL iBT 90 or IELTS 7.0 |
If you are close to these numbers, sit the test before February. A strong SAT or GRE score also helps a regular application, even when the programme does not require it.
Türkiye Bursları deadline and selection calendar
| Stage | Timing for 2027 entry |
|---|---|
| Applications on TBBS | 10 January to 20 February 2027 |
| Deadline | 20 February 2027 |
| Evaluation of applications | March to April 2027 |
| Interviews | April to June 2027 |
| Results announced | Early August 2027 |
| Initial procedures (visa, documents) | August 2027 |
| Scholars travel to Türkiye | September 2027 |
These stages come from the official application calendar, which uses the same months every year. The 2026 round ran from 10 January to 20 February 2026, matching it. Late applications are not accepted, and the portal gets slow in the final days, so aim to submit by mid-February.
How to apply for the Türkiye Bursları Scholarship
- Create your account: register on tbbs.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr with your email and confirm it. Use an address you will still check in August.
- Fill in personal details: passport or national ID details, contact information and your photo. Use a recent, plain passport-style photo.
- Add your education: every completed level, the grading scale and your overall score. Enter national exam results (WAEC, KCSE, Matric, baccalauréat and so on) if you are applying for a bachelor’s degree.
- Upload documents: scans of everything in the checklist below, clear and complete.
- Write your letter of intent: in the text fields on the form. Reviewers weigh it alongside your grades, so give it real time (see the section below).
- Choose up to 12 programmes: rank them in the order you actually want them. YTB places you in one of them if you win.
- Submit and save the confirmation: you receive a confirmation with a reference number. You can check your status in the same account later.
Applications go only through the online system. YTB does not accept posted, couriered or hand-delivered files, and no agent or school can apply for you.
Document checklist
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Passport or national ID | Valid; a national ID is enough at application stage |
| Recent photo | Plain background, face clearly visible |
| Diploma or temporary graduation certificate | Final-year students upload their current status |
| Transcripts | Official, showing all courses and grades; screenshots of online portals weaken your file |
| National exam results | For bachelor’s applicants without an international qualification |
| International exam scores | SAT, GRE, GMAT, YÖS or similar, if you have them or the programme needs them |
| Language certificate | TOEFL, IELTS, DELF or another test, if required or available |
| Letters of recommendation | Asked for by many programmes, especially at graduate level |
| Research proposal and writing sample | PhD applicants |
If you need help with referees, our guide to the recommendation letter for scholarships has samples you can hand to a lecturer.
How to write the Türkiye Bursları letter of intent
Reviewers in the expert evaluation look at your academic background, career goals, programme choices, letter of intent and social activities together. The letter has to tie those pieces into one believable plan.
- Open with the problem you want to work on: one concrete issue from your country or field, in two or three sentences.
- Show what you have already done: projects, volunteering, a final-year thesis, a job. Name results.
- Explain why these programmes: refer to the actual courses, labs or staff in your top choices. Keep it consistent with your 12 preferences; a letter about agriculture with a list of business programmes reads as random.
- Explain why Türkiye: a link between your goal and something Türkiye offers is stronger than general praise of its culture.
- End with your return plan: what you will do after graduating and how it helps your community or country.
A sample opening: “In my district, half of the tomato harvest rots before it reaches a market. During my final-year project I measured those losses on six farms, and I want to study food engineering in Türkiye to design low-cost storage that small farmers can build themselves.”
What happens after you apply
- Preliminary check: YTB removes applications that miss the age, grade or document rules.
- Expert evaluation (March to April): committees score your file.
- Interview (April to June): shortlisted candidates are interviewed online or in person. Expect questions on your plans, your field and your choice of programmes. Keep your original documents close in case the panel asks to see them.
- Results (early August): announced in your TBBS account. Winners see the university and programme they have been placed in.
- Acceptance and visa (August): you confirm the place and apply for a student visa with the documents YTB provides.
- Arrival (September): scholars travel to Türkiye and start the Turkish course.
Common mistakes that sink applications
- Choosing 12 programmes at random instead of ones that match your degree and letter
- Uploading phone photos of documents that are blurred or cut off
- Writing a generic letter that could be about any country
- Ignoring the age limit: being 21 at the time of applying rules you out of the bachelor’s call
- Waiting for the last week, when the portal is busiest
- Paying an “agent” to apply, which YTB does not allow
Who should apply, and who should not
Apply if you meet the grade threshold with some margin, are willing to learn Turkish for a year, and are open to being placed at any of your 12 choices, including universities outside Istanbul and Ankara.
Think twice if you want a graduate degree in medicine or another health science, if you need an English-only experience with no Turkish course, or if you would turn down a placement that is not your first choice.
How Türkiye Bursları compares with similar scholarships
| Scholarship | Country | Levels | Monthly support | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Türkiye Bursları | Türkiye | Associate to PhD | 6,500 to 13,000 TL | 20 February 2027 |
| Global Korea Scholarship (undergraduate) | South Korea | Bachelor’s and associate | KRW 1,200,000 during the degree | Embassy Track 30 September 2027 |
| MEXT (Japan scholarships) | Japan | Bachelor’s to PhD | 117,000 to 145,000 yen | Set by each Japanese embassy |
| Chinese Government Scholarship | China | Bachelor’s to PhD | RMB 2,500 to 3,500 | Set by each embassy or university |
| Brunei Darussalam Government Scholarship | Brunei | Diploma to master’s | BND 650 (personal plus meals) | 15 February 2027 |
Türkiye Bursları is also one of the government awards in our list of scholarships with no application fee, if you want more free options to apply for in the same season.
FAQs on the Türkiye Bursları Scholarship
Is the Türkiye Bursları Scholarship open for 2027?
The 2027 window runs from 10 January to 20 February 2027 on tbbs.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr. The deadline is 20 February 2027, and late applications are not accepted.
How much is the Türkiye Bursları monthly stipend?
The official rates are 6,500 TL a month for undergraduates, 9,500 TL for master’s students and 13,000 TL for PhD students. Merit Scholarship winners get double.
Do I need IELTS for Türkiye Bursları?
IELTS is not a general requirement, because most scholars take a one-year Turkish course. Some English-taught programmes ask for TOEFL, IELTS or another proof, and a good score strengthens any application.
What is the age limit for Türkiye Bursları?
You must be under 21 for associate and bachelor’s programmes, under 30 for master’s and under 35 for PhD. The Research Scholarship accepts applicants under 50.
Sources and updates
Programme benefits, the stipend amounts, the Merit Scholarship scores and the note on graduate health sciences come from the full-time programmes page on turkiyeburslari.gov.tr. Age limits, grade thresholds and the eligibility groups come from the scholarship programmes and application criteria pages on the same site, and the stage dates from its official application calendar. The 2025 application figure and the 2026 window come from YTB’s January 2026 announcement. Programme lengths come from the archive page on what the scholarship covers. Checked on 25 October 2026; I will update this page when the 2027 call is posted, so confirm on the official site before you submit.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
