Admission Regulations

This directive regulates the application, admission and registration requirements for students from abroad and international students applying to associate and bachelor's degree programs at İstanbul Nişantaşı University.

This directive has been prepared pursuant to Article 45/f of Higher Education Law No. 2547, as amended by Law No. 6287, and the Principles for the Admission of Students from Abroad set by the Council of Higher Education.

In these procedures and principles:

1. a)

   YÖK: the Council of Higher Education,

2. b)

   University: İstanbul Nişantaşı University,

3. c)

   Board of Trustees: the Board of Trustees of İstanbul Nişantaşı University,

4. d)

   Rector: the Rector of İstanbul Nişantaşı University,

5. e)

   Senate: the Senate of İstanbul Nişantaşı University,

6. f)

   International Office: the International Office of İstanbul Nişantaşı University,

7. g)

   Committee: the International Student Admission Committee of İstanbul Nişantaşı University,

8. h)

   Department of Foreign Languages: the Department of Foreign Languages of İstanbul Nişantaşı University,

9. i)

   Turkish Teaching Center: the Turkish Language Teaching Application and Research Center of İstanbul Nişantaşı University,

10. j)

    TRNC: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,

11. k)

    GCE: General Certificate of Education,

12. l)

    SAT: Scholastic Aptitude Test,

13. m)

    ACT: American College Testing,

14. n)

    ABITUR: Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife,

15. o)

    MOBİS: the Private International Schools Information System,

16. p)

    MEB: the Ministry of National Education,

17. q)

    TR-YÖS: the Türkiye Foreign Student Admission Exam,

18. r)

    T.C.: the Republic of Türkiye,

19. s)

    YÖKSİS: the Higher Education Information System,

20. t)

    ÖSYM: the Measuring, Selection and Placement Center.

A coordinator is appointed by the Rector to carry out the application, preference and placement procedures of international students. The coordinator reports to the Rector.

1. 1)

   An "International Student Admission Committee" is established to carry out the preference, application, evaluation and placement procedures of students from abroad and international students.

2. 2)

   The Committee consists of at least five members. Members are appointed by the Rector from among the university's academic staff, the International Office Coordinator and other relevant administrative staff.

3. 3)

   The Chair of the Committee is the Vice Rector responsible for student affairs.

1 – Quota

1. 1)

   The programs that will admit students and the number of students to be admitted are determined by Senate decision and reported to YÖK.

2. 2)

   Information on the quotas approved by YÖK and published on its official website is also published on the official website of İstanbul Nişantaşı University.

3. 3)

   Pursuant to Article 45/f of Higher Education Law No. 2547, as amended by Law No. 6287 ("The procedures and principles for admitting foreign nationals and students who completed all of their secondary education abroad are determined by the Council of Higher Education"), Article 8 of the General Principles (Section A) of the Principles for the Admission of Students from Abroad provides that, where a program's quota for students from abroad receives no applications or is not filled, the unfilled quotas and/or quotas without applications:

   1. a)

      shall not be transferred to Dentistry, Pharmacy, Law, Teacher Education and Medicine programs,

   2. b)

      may, for other programs, be transferred by the relevant university boards (committee) among the programs of the same faculty / school / vocational school.

4. 4)

   In Teacher Education, Law, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy programs, the registrations of dual citizens one of whose nationalities is Turkish, Turkish citizens, candidates who were Turkish citizens by birth but lost Turkish citizenship by obtaining permission from the Ministry of Interior to renounce it, and Blue Card holders may not exceed 10% of the quota for students from abroad set for that program. No separate 10% quota is allocated for these candidates.

2 – Application and admission calendar

The University's international student application, evaluation and registration processes are prepared before the start of the relevant academic year and are clearly stated in the University's academic calendar.

1. 1)

   Provided that they are in the final year of high school or have graduated, applications are accepted from:

   1. a)

      Foreign nationals (provided they have not studied at / graduated from a secondary school (high school) in Türkiye [except foreign nationals who completed all of their high school education at embassy schools / international private schools registered in MOBİS, and foreign nationals who came to Türkiye within a project run by the Ministry of National Education or the Council of Higher Education]);

   2. b)

      Those who were Turkish citizens by birth but lost Turkish citizenship by obtaining permission from the Ministry of Interior to renounce it, and those who document that they hold the Blue Card issued on request to persons who lost Turkish citizenship (provided they have not studied at / graduated from a secondary school (high school) in Türkiye or the TRNC). (Candidates applying to the quotas for students from abroad are advised to review Article 7 of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901.) However, limited to 2026 and 2027, applications to the quotas for students from abroad by Blue Card holders who enrolled in the preparatory class of a high school in Türkiye in the 2021–2022 academic year are accepted, in line with the decision of the YÖK Executive Board dated 31.07.2026;

   3. c)

      Those who were foreign nationals and later acquired Turkish citizenship / dual citizens in this situation (provided they have not studied at / graduated from a secondary school (high school) in Türkiye or the TRNC);

   4. d)

      Turkish citizens who completed all of their secondary education (high school) in a foreign country other than the TRNC [including those who completed all of their secondary education at Turkish schools abroad, outside the TRNC, opened under the Ministry of National Education];

   5. e)

      TRNC citizens (provided they have not studied at / graduated from high schools in Türkiye or high schools in the TRNC applying the Turkish curriculum) who hold GCE AL, TR-YÖS or the criteria stated in the application and admission directives of higher education institutions approved by the Council of Higher Education.

   — applications from the above are accepted.

2. 2)

   It has been decided that applications will NOT be accepted from the following candidates:

   1. a)

      Turkish citizens who completed all of their secondary education (high school) in Türkiye or the TRNC,

   2. b)

      TRNC citizens / dual citizens one of whose nationalities is TRNC (except those who completed all of their secondary education at TRNC high schools and hold / will hold GCE AL results, or TRNC citizens who completed all of their secondary education in a foreign country and hold TR-YÖS or the admission criteria stated in the application and admission directives of higher education institutions approved by the Council of Higher Education),

   3. c)

      Dual citizens whose first nationality by birth is Turkish, as defined in the relevant article of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (except those meeting the conditions of Article 7/1-d of this directive),

   4. d)

      Turkish citizens, or dual citizens whose first nationality by birth is Turkish as defined in Article 7 of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901¹, who studied at schools within embassies in Türkiye or at foreign high schools in Türkiye,

   5. e)

      The following:

      1. 1)

         TRNC citizens and those who renounced Turkish citizenship / Blue Card holders who study at / graduated from secondary schools (high schools) in Türkiye or the TRNC — except Blue Card holders who enrolled in the preparatory class of a high school in Türkiye in the 2021–2022 academic year and, limited to 2026 and 2027, have the right to apply to the quotas for students from abroad,

      2. 2)

         Foreign nationals who study at / graduated from secondary schools (high schools) in Türkiye (except foreign nationals who completed all of their high school education at embassy schools / international private schools registered in MOBİS, and foreign nationals who came to Türkiye within a project run by the Ministry of National Education or the Council of Higher Education).

   — it has been decided that applications from the above will not be accepted.

   *(If students within the scope of the subparagraphs of Article 7/2 are identified, their registration is cancelled even if they have already been placed in a program or registered.)

Application documents (high school diploma, high school transcripts, passport and biometric photo) are uploaded to the university's online application page at https://apply.nisantasi.edu.tr/ within the announced application dates.

1. 1)

   Applications are evaluated by the "International Student Admission Committee" formed by the Rectorate, in accordance with the admission requirements set out in this directive. Applying, or meeting the application requirements, does not mean the candidate has earned the right to final registration.

2. 2)

   The Committee evaluates each student's application file, taking the quotas into account.

3. 3)

   Candidates applying to departments or programs that admit students through a special aptitude exam must, in addition to meeting the admission requirements, also pass the special aptitude exam held by the Faculty / Conservatory / School.

4. 4)

   Applications from candidates who obtained a diploma from a high school abroad through distance education without being present abroad will not be accepted under the quotas for students from abroad.

5. 5)

   For diplomas obtained through formal (in-person) education at a high school abroad, if the time spent in that country does not support that the high school education was received in person, applications with these diplomas under the quotas for students from abroad will not be processed. In that case, even if registration has been completed, the procedure will be cancelled and the registration deleted.

6. 6)

   Applications are not accepted from persons found to have committed irregularities in exams held by ÖSYM or other universities in previous years, persons found by judicial authorities to have acted against the Republic of Türkiye, or persons deprived of Turkish citizenship as a sanction.

1. 1)

   Students placed in programs taught in a foreign language are subject to the Regulation on the Principles of Foreign Language Teaching and Teaching in a Foreign Language at Higher Education Institutions, published in the Official Gazette No. 29662 dated 23/03/2016.

2. 2)

   Students placed in programs taught in English must, at registration, document their English level with an "English Language Proficiency Certificate" issued by the institutions and centers determined by the University Senate, within the equivalences listed in Annex 1. For candidates who cannot document their English proficiency, an English Placement Exam is held by the Department of Foreign Languages at the beginning of the semester in which they register. Students whose English level is insufficient must attend the compulsory "English Preparatory Program" to reach the required level; this period is not counted in the duration of study. Such students are given one year of instruction at the Department of Foreign Languages to reach the required level. A student who has not reached the required level at the end of one year continues for another year at the Department of Foreign Languages. A student who still has not reached the required level at the end of these periods is dismissed from the University. The following may be exempted from the preparatory program, provided they submit the relevant documents:

   1. a)

      Those who pass the English Proficiency Exam held by the university at the beginning of the academic year, or who pass the English exams accepted as valid in the "International Foreign Language Exam Equivalences Document" updated on 11.03.2025 under Article 7(6) of Law No. 6114,

   2. b)

      Those who successfully completed the English preparatory program of another university in Türkiye,

   3. c)

      Those who completed their secondary education in a country where English is an official language, at institutions attended by that country's citizens.

3. 3)

   Students placed in programs taught in Turkish must, at registration, document their Turkish level with a "Turkish Language Proficiency Certificate" issued by the institutions and centers determined by the University Senate, within the equivalences listed in Annex 2. For candidates who cannot document their Turkish proficiency, a Turkish Placement Exam is held by the Turkish Teaching Center at the beginning of the semester in which they register. Students whose Turkish level is insufficient are given one year of instruction at the Turkish Teaching Center to reach the required level. A student who has not reached the required level at the end of one year continues for another year at the Center. A student who still has not reached the required level at the end of these periods is dismissed from the University.

4. 4)

   Those who completed all of their secondary education (high school) abroad at Turkish schools opened under the Ministry of National Education (MEB) are exempt from the Turkish proficiency requirement, provided they document this.

5. 5)

   Whether candidates who studied at or completed secondary education in Türkiye may apply to the quotas for students from abroad is determined by Article 7 of this directive and the Principles for the Admission of Students from Abroad set by the Council of Higher Education. Candidates without this right may not apply under the quotas for students from abroad.

International students are registered in higher education programs according to the calendar announced by YÖK. Once registration is complete, the university activates the international students' status in YÖKSİS.

At registration, candidates must provide:

1. a)

   The original high school diploma or temporary graduation certificate (if not in Turkish or English, a Turkish translation certified by a notary or a Turkish diplomatic mission),

2. b)

   The original official transcript approved by the high school administration, showing the courses taken, grades and overall GPA (if not in Turkish or English, a Turkish translation certified by a notary or a Turkish diplomatic mission),

3. c)

   For students registering with an exam result or high school diploma listed in the Admission Criteria in Annex 3 and holding the required diploma type and minimum score: the original exam result document, or the result document of one of the high school leaving exams, diplomas or entrance exams,

4. d)

   The identity page of the passport (or of the document replacing the passport) and the border entry stamp in the passport,

5. e)

   The visa sticker in the passport (except for those covered by a visa exemption),

6. f)

   If available:

   1. •

      Residence permit

   2. •

      Stateless person identity document

   3. •

      International protection application / status document

   4. •

      Temporary protection identity document

   5. •

      Work permit

   6. •

      Work permit exemption document

   7. •

      Blue Card

   8. •

      Foreign Mission Staff / Family Member ID Card

7. g)

   A document showing that the tuition fee has been paid,

8. h)

   For applicants under 18 who arrived visa-exempt or with a visa issued for a different purpose: a document containing parent/guardian information (birth certificate, family register, etc.) and a letter of consent from the parent / guardian / legal representative,

9. i)

   If available, the original of an internationally valid English or Turkish proficiency certificate,

10. j)

    A health report for programs that require one,

11. k)

    For Turkish citizens who completed high school abroad: the equivalency certificate obtained from the competent Turkish diplomatic missions or the Ministry of National Education (candidates who are not Turkish citizens are not required to obtain equivalency), and official documents showing their entries to and exits from the Republic of Türkiye.

Candidates who submit the documents above register in person. Candidates who register through a proxy must have a power of attorney certified by a notary or consulate, explicitly authorizing the student's university registration.

Even if candidates meet the conditions above, under the letter of the Presidency of Migration Management of the Ministry of Interior dated 27.06.2024 and numbered 18664661-000 272105, applications from foreigners who do not have the legal right to stay in Türkiye during the student admission process are not accepted by the university.

Students admitted to programs are subject to the relevant regulations of İstanbul Nişantaşı University on matters of education and training.

Tuition fees are set each year by the Board of Trustees.

The Committee evaluates scholarships and/or discounts according to the conditions set out in the relevant articles of the İstanbul Nişantaşı University Scholarship Directive. Following the Committee's evaluation and with the approval of the Board of Trustees, scholarships may be granted to international students from abroad.

For students who submit altered, forged, incomplete or incorrect documents during the application, placement and registration process, all registration procedures are cancelled, even if final registration has been completed. Students who do not submit their documents to the university fully and completely within the time given to complete missing documents are dismissed from the University.

1. 1)

   Students admitted to programs are subject to the relevant regulations of İstanbul Nişantaşı University on matters not covered by this directive.

2. 2)

   Newly registered students must submit their residence permit to the International Office within three months of their date of entry into Türkiye at the latest. Students who do not submit their residence permit within three months cannot benefit from student rights.

3. 3)

   Students are responsible for carrying out residence permit procedures and for all financial and other obligations that may arise from them.

4. 4)

   International candidates applying to the University must submit, at the time of application, documents showing that they have the financial means to continue their higher education in Türkiye.

5. 5)

   A "pre-admission letter" or equivalent document may be issued to international candidates who apply and meet the application requirements, provided this does not exceed 1/3 of the quota for the relevant academic year. This document becomes valid in line with the relevant regulations of the Council of Higher Education.

6. 6)

   To encourage international student applications, the University prepares catalogs, brochures, digital content and information materials introducing the university, and participates in education fairs abroad. Information and counseling services are provided within the International Office so that international students can get information and support on their application, admission and placement processes.

7. 7)

   The University's international student admission quotas and admission requirements are submitted to YÖK each year in accordance with the calendar set by the Council of Higher Education. Changes to admission requirements do not take effect without YÖK's approval.

The provisions of this Directive are executed by the Rector of İstanbul Nişantaşı University.

This directive enters into force upon approval by the Council of Higher Education following the University Senate decision.

This Directive repeals the İstanbul Nişantaşı University Directive on International Student Application, Admission and Registration Requirements dated 11.08.2026 and numbered 2026/18.

— students must hold an English Language Proficiency Certificate at an equivalent level.

*For a Linguaskill score to be valid, the exam must have been taken after 11.03.2025, the date on which ÖSYM's International Foreign Language Exam Equivalences document was updated.

Assessments and practices regarding Turkish language proficiency are carried out within the Principles for the Admission of Students from Abroad set by the Council of Higher Education and the relevant legislation. Institutions whose Turkish Language Proficiency Certificates are accepted:

1. a)

   Universities' TÖMER, Turkish Language and Turkish Teaching Application and Research Centers,

2. b)

   Yunus Emre Institute,

3. c)

   Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).