Updated 2026-10-02
The word does not mean what you think
In most of the world a scholarship is money someone gives you. At Turkish private universities it almost always means a discount on tuition — the fee is reduced, and nobody sends you anything.
This single misunderstanding causes more disappointment than any other in this process. A student is told they have a "75% scholarship", pictures money arriving, and discovers it means a fee of $1,500 instead of $6,000. That is a very good outcome. It is not what they were imagining.
So when anyone — us included — says scholarship, ask the only question that matters: what do I actually pay, and when?
The bands
Turkish foundation universities publish scholarship ladders, usually in steps: 25%, 50%, 75%, and at some universities 100%. What sets your band varies by university, but the same factors recur:
- Your results. The strongest single factor almost everywhere.
- When you apply. Higher bands go early and the good ones run out. A student applying in November is competing for what is left after September.
- What you are studying. Discounts are deeper where a university wants more students, and thin or absent in medicine and dentistry.
- How you apply. Applications through an official partner channel are assessed against the partner allocation, which is not the same pool as the public form.
In our catalogue, the deepest published discount is 75%, and 288 programmes are at half off or more. That is the honest ceiling of the ordinary route.
Where 100% actually comes from
A 100% place is a different product from a catalogue discount. A limited number of seats are allocated, they are taken as applications arrive, and they carry a one-off payment rather than yearly tuition.
They are genuinely good value. They are not free, and any agency that shows you "100% scholarship" without showing you the payment in the same breath is managing you rather than informing you. Every 100% place we hold is listed on this site with its full price beside it, before you speak to anyone.
Türkiye Bursları is a different thing entirely
The Turkish government scholarship is a real, fully funded award — tuition, a monthly stipend, accommodation, health cover, and a Turkish language year. It is also extraordinarily competitive, applications open once a year, and it is awarded by the state, not by a university and not by an agency.
Nobody can sell you one. Nobody can improve your odds for a fee. If an agency implies otherwise, that is the moment to leave.
Keeping the band you win
A scholarship is usually tied to staying enrolled and to your results. Fail enough, change programme, or take too long, and it can be reduced or lost. Before you accept an offer, ask three questions and get them answered in writing:
- Does this band cover the whole degree, or is it reviewed each year?
- What would make me lose it?
- Does it apply if I repeat a year, or change subject?
Any university's admissions office will answer these. So will we.
