Applying to Turkish Universities: How Many Can I Apply To, and Do I Need Equivalency or a Good GPA?

Published: 1 September 2026

For international students planning to study in Türkiye, most of the confusion appears at the application stage. For general information about the exam itself, see our guide to what TR-YÖS is, its exam structure and application process. In this article we take the four most common questions one by one.

How Many Universities Can I Apply To at the Same Time?

International student admission in Türkiye does not run through a central preference system. Unlike the national YKS system, you do not fill in one single preference form ranking all universities. Instead, you apply to each university separately, through that university's own application portal.

This has two practical consequences:

There is no central cap on the number of universities you can apply to. As long as the calendars allow it, you can apply to several universities in the same period.
The limit exists inside each university. Most universities decide, in their own guide, how many programs you may choose within their application. You might be able to select five programs at one university and a different number at another.

Many universities also charge an application fee, and these fees differ from one institution to another. So the "apply everywhere I can" approach can be both expensive and hard to manage. A healthier strategy is to build a shortlist that matches your score and your priorities, then follow each calendar carefully.

We publish application and placement announcements regularly on our blog.

Can I Apply Without an Equivalency Certificate?

The equivalency certificate (denklik belgesi) is the official document confirming that the high school diploma you obtained abroad is recognised as equivalent to a Turkish high school diploma. It is obtained through the education counsellorships/attachés at Turkish missions abroad or through provincial directorates of national education in Türkiye. For the current procedure and required documents, rely on the Ministry of National Education's equivalency pages.

An important distinction: ÖSYM's TR-YÖS guide does not set the equivalency certificate as a requirement for taking the exam. Equivalency is part of the university admission and registration process, not the exam. Practice varies from university to university:

Some universities do not ask for the certificate at application stage and request it at registration.
Others require it to be included in the application file.

The only reliable source is therefore the announcement published by the university you intend to apply to. The list of registration documents is usually detailed in the registration announcement published after results — as seen in the Mehmet Akif Ersoy University registration announcement.

Practical advice: equivalency procedures can take time, so starting the process without waiting for your results is the safest approach.

Does My High School GPA Affect My Application?

Yes, it can. As stated explicitly in ÖSYM's 2026 TR-YÖS guide, admission of international students at state universities takes into account the TR-YÖS exam together with secondary school grade averages determined by the university senate, countries' own national exams, and international exam results. At foundation (private) universities, the results of the institution's own international student admission exam may also be considered.

The key phrase here is "determined by the university senate". In other words:

Each university decides for itself whether your GPA is taken into account.
Where it is, the weight given to it also varies between universities.
Some universities look only at the exam score, while others combine the exam score with the high school average.

The guide also states that the methods used in admission and their minimum scores are published on the websites of the relevant higher education institutions. So the answer to "which university looks at what" is not held centrally — it lives in each university's own announcements.

What Language Are TR-YÖS Questions In?

There is a lot of misinformation on this point, while the guide is clear:

The exam is held in Turkish, German, English, French, Russian and Arabic.

The most important detail, however, is this: in the question booklet, the questions appear in Turkish, with the translation into your chosen foreign language provided alongside them. You are not given a separate booklet entirely in a foreign language — the booklet is bilingual. Even if your Turkish is weak, you can read the question in your chosen language while comparing it with the Turkish original.

You choose your language when you apply. According to the guide, candidates who wish to change this choice may do so within the application period (including late application days) through ÖSYM's relevant application system. Since the language cannot be changed once the application period closes, it is important to get this choice right from the start.

Bonus: How Long Is a TR-YÖS Result Valid?

According to the guide, a TR-YÖS result is valid for 2 years from the exam date. This is a real planning advantage: if you were not placed in one year, or chose not to register, you can use the same result in the following year's applications without retaking the exam — provided you confirm from the relevant university's announcement that it accepts that result.

Likewise, not being placed in one round does not mean the process is over. Universities open additional application and supplementary placement rounds from time to time — as seen in the Kırıkkale University vacant quota announcement and the METU supplementary placement announcement. Keep following the international student announcements of the universities you are interested in.

A Short Pre-Application Checklist

Read the admission criteria and minimum scores on each university's own page.
Note each university's application calendar separately; they do not align.
Start the equivalency process early.
Check whether your high school GPA is part of the evaluation.
Finalise your TR-YÖS language choice within the application period.

If you are wondering what your exam score might be, you can use our TR-YÖS Score Calculator. The tool only estimates your score; it does not show which universities will admit you. That decision has to be made using each university's own quota and admission information.

If the process feels complicated, you do not have to handle it alone. At YösEdu we guide international students from exam preparation and university selection through to the application file and registration.

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