Scholarships and Student Jobs in Turkey: Türkiye Scholarships and Work Rules

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

The main scholarship for international students in Turkey is Türkiye Scholarships, a government-funded programme that also finds you a university place. Working while you study is possible, but only with a work permit and, for bachelor's students, only after the first year. This guide reflects the programme's pages and the law as read in October 2026.

Türkiye Scholarships

Türkiye Scholarships is run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and is open to associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral students, as well as researchers. According to its pages, it:

places you at a university and in a department;
covers tuition fees;
gives a one-year Turkish language course;
provides accommodation;
pays a one-off flight ticket;
includes health insurance through the general health insurance system;
pays a monthly stipend of 6,500 lira at associate and bachelor's level, 9,500 lira at master's level and 13,000 lira at doctoral level (about €117, €171 and €234 at the ECB rate of 19 October 2026). Students with outstanding academic results receive twice as much under the Merit Scholarship Programme.

For bachelor's students, dormitory fees are covered for the whole degree. Master's and doctoral students get a dormitory place in the first year and later a housing allowance of 6,000 lira in Istanbul and Ankara or 5,000 lira elsewhere. See student housing in Turkey.

Who can apply

The criteria on the programme's page for 2026:

minimum academic achievement of 70% for associate and bachelor's candidates, and 90% for health sciences (medicine, dentistry and pharmacy);
age under 21 for associate and bachelor's programmes;
citizens of all countries are eligible, as are graduates or students who will graduate before August of the application year;
Turkish citizens and people who lost Turkish citizenship are not eligible, and neither are people already enrolled at a Turkish university at the level they apply for.

Selection is competitive and merit-based. The online application system lets you list 12 programme choices, and applying is free.

When to apply

For 2026 the applications were open once, from 10 January to 20 February 2026, for students from all countries. Other programmes, such as Research Scholarships, Success Scholarships and KATİP, have separate periods announced on the website. The dates for 2027 had not been announced on the programme's news pages when we checked on 23 October 2026, so watch the application calendar and plan around the official date.

Other scholarships

YÖK's Study in Türkiye portal names four other sources:

scholarships provided by your own country's government;
scholarships of national and international institutions and organisations;
scholarships of individual universities, listed on each university's website;
the YÖK scholarship for international students at bachelor's and master's level from countries that signed a protocol with YÖK. If students admitted under it have no Turkish certificate, a one-year language preparation is offered.

Amounts and conditions differ by provider, and some also pay for the journey. For comparing countries by cost see cheapest countries to study in Europe, and for fees in Turkey see how much it costs to study in Turkey.

Working while you study

A student residence permit does not by itself allow you to work. The law on international labour force (No. 6735) says that students in full-time programmes may work if they obtain a work permit. Associate and bachelor's students can apply only after the first year of study and can work part-time under the labour law. Postgraduate students in full-time programmes are not limited in this way. A work permit does not end your student residence permit.

Study in Türkiye adds three points:

the work permit is issued by the General Directorate of International Labour;
a compulsory or elective internship that is part of your programme does not need a work permit, and the university's international office helps you find one;
Erasmus+ traineeships of 2 to 12 months in a European country are open to students in Turkey, during the studies or right after graduation.

Master's and doctoral students can also work as researchers in scientific projects, and some private universities give assistantships in exchange for a scholarship. For the rules across Europe see working while studying in Europe.

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.