Admission to the Graduate Programs

Students are admitted to graduate programs pursuant to YOK’s Rules and Regulations for Graduate Programs as well as the Directives on Graduate Program Admissions at Özyeğin Üniversity.

Application requirements of graduate programs are determined by the respective graduate schools. Prospective students may submit their applications directly to the respective graduate schools, so long as they have all the required documents. Students are admitted at the beginning of each academic year. However, some graduate programs may also admit students at the beginning of the Spring semester. Applications and enrollments are completed within the periods announced in the academic calendar.

Prospective students who completed their undergraduate or graduate studies abroad are eligible to apply for graduate programs at Özyeğin University, provided that their education, degrees, diplomas, and alma maters are recognized by the Higher Education Council of Turkey (YÖK). To prove that their eligibility, prospective students must obtain an “Equivalence Certificate” from the Recognition Unit of the Council of Higher Education; and submit the original copy of their equivalence certificates to the University at the time of their application. Accordingly, Bachelor’s degree graduates who apply for Master’s or Post-Bachelor’s PhD programs must obtain an equivalence certificate for their Bachelor’s degree diplomas, while Master’s degree graduates who apply for a Post-Master’s PhD program must obtain an equivalence certificate for their Master’s degree diplomas. In the event that a prospective student is admitted without an equivalence certificate, the equivalency application will be submitted to the YÖK Recognition Office by Student Services to confirm that the student’s degree, education, diploma and alma mater are recognized by YÖK.

For more about our graduate programs, application requirements and documents, please visit Academic Programs page on our University website.

Application Requirements
Application Documents
Application, Evaluation and Admissions

Application Requirements

1. Degrees

Bachelor’s degree graduates must submit their Bachelor’s diplomas in order to apply for a Master’s program or a Post-Bachelor’s PhD program. Master’s degree graduates must submit their Master’s diploma in order to apply for a Post-Master’s PhD program.
Prospective students who have not graduated yet but are expected to graduate soon must successfully complete their current programs before the end of the announced enrollment period in the respective semester in order to be eligible to enroll in the University.
Prospective students who completed their undergraduate or graduate studies abroad are eligible to apply for OzU’s graduate programs so long as their education, degrees, diplomas, and alma maters are recognized by YÖK.

2.Graduate Admissions Test Score

Prospective students must achieve at least the minimum score announced by the respective graduate school in one of the following tests. Minimum scores announced by graduate schools cannot be lower than the minimum passing grade of the tests below.

For Applications of Master Degree programs and Post - Master’s PhD Programs.
ALES: At least 55 points in the respective score type
GRE: Quantitative, at least 610 (old system), or at least 149 (new system)
GMAT: At least 450

For Applications to Post - Bachelor's PhD programs.
ALES: At least 70 points in the respective score type
GRE: Quantitative, at least 685(old system), or at least 154 (new system)
GMAT: Min 650

The validity period is 3 years for ALES, and 5 years for GRE and GMAT.

Prospective students who graduated, withdrew or dismissed from another graduate program do not need to submit a new graduate admissions test score if they apply to the same or a different graduate program after at most one semester. However, these students must provide their previous graduate admissions test score which they submitted to apply for the program they graduated, withdrew or dismissed from.

3. English Proficiency Examination Score

TOEFL-IBT : At least 55.
ÜDS / KPDS / YDS: At least 55

The validity period is 2 years for TOEFL, and 5 years for ÜDS/KPDS/YDS.

PhD prospective students who are citizens of an English speaking country are also required to submit a language proficiency exam score. These students must have obtained at least 55 in French or German in the Foreign Language Proficiency Examination (YDS) or at least an equivalent score in an examination recognized by the Interuniversity Board (ÜAK). The score report must still be valid at the time of the application.
Master’s degree applicants who graduated from English-medium higher education programs within the last two years may be exempted from the English Proficiency Examination Score requirement, so long as they are deemed proficient in English by the respective graduate school.
Master’s program applicants who achieved the minimum passing grade set out by the respective graduate school -so long as it is not lower than 50- in the English Proficiency Examination of Özyeğin University (TRACE) are considered to have satisfied the English Proficiency requirement. The validity period of TRACE is 2 years.

4. Other Requirements

Prospective students must fulfill other requirements, if any, announced by the respective graduate schools.

Application Documents

Application documents are not returned to prospective students before or after the evaluation process. Therefore, it is recommended that students keep original documents with themselves; and submit only the copies of the documents to the University at the time of their application. All documents must be either in Turkish or English. If application documents are prepared in a language other than Turkish or English, their notarized translation into Turkish or English must also be attached.

1. Application Form: Online application form filled out truthfully, accurately and completely.
2. Diploma:A copy of the diploma of the higher education program from which the prospective student graduated. If the prospective student has not graduated yet, the prospective student must submit an official document which bears the date the prospective student is expected to graduate. For diplomas awarded by higher education institutions abroad, prospective students must also submit the original copy of the Equivalence Certificate issued by the Recognition Unit of the Higher Education Council.
3. Transcript: Transcript showing all courses taken and grades achieved in all higher education institutions the prospective student has so far attended or graduated from. If the transcript does not provide any description about the grading system, separate documents must be provided for the grading system of the respective institutions.
4. Graduate Programs Entrance Exam Score Report: Any of the score reports listed in the application documents. (ALES, GRE, GMAT)
5. English Proficiency Examination Score Certificate: Any of the documents listed in the application documents. (TOEFL, YDS, KPDS, ÜDS)
6. Letter of Reference:Two letters of reference. Letters of reference must be obtained preferably from the prospective student’s professors and/or previous/current employer.
7. Letter of Intent: Letter written by the prospective student to explain his/her personal or professional goals.
8. Passport: Copy of the pages from the passport that have a photo and identity information (for the international students).
9. Additional Information: Any supplementary documents required by the respective gradute school.

Application, Evaluation and Admissions

Prospective students may be requested to prove the accuracy of information and documents submitted at the time of application or the University may directly investigate the accuracy of such information and documents. Should it be determined that there are inconsistencies in information and documents provided by prospective students, such students are denied admission, even if they are previously admitted; and their enrollments are revoked, even if previously completed.
Application documents are kept by the University; and under no circumstances are returned to prospective students, regardless of the result of evaluation.
As a result of preliminary evaluations conducted based on the application information and documents submitted, prospective students may be invited for an interview or a written exam. Failure to attend the interview or examination will disqualify prospective students from further consideration.
Applications are evaluated based on a performance grade assigned to each prospective student. The performance grade is calculated based on a list of criteria, including the prospective student's graduate admissions test score (with a weight no less than 50%), graduation GPA, interview or written examination score, as well as foreign language proficiency.

Applications are evaluated by an admissions jury established by the respective graduate school. Recommendations of the admission jury regarding the admission of prospective students are concluded upon the resolution of the respective Graduate School Executive Board.

The Executive Board of the respective graduate school, if deems necessary, may require some of the admitted students to attend a Scientific Preparatory Program for one or two semester(s) in order to fully prepare them for their graduate programs. In such a case, the respective Graduate School Executive Board lists all courses that must be taken by the prospective student in its resolution.

The scope, application requirements and quotas of scholarships awarded to admitted students are determined by the Board of Trustees for each academic year. Scholarships are awarded upon the resolution of the respective Graduate School Executive Board and the approval of the Rector. For more information about tuition and scholarships, please click here.

Admitted international students must enter Turkey with their student visas in order to be eligible to enroll in the University. Students may apply to the local Turkish Embassy/Consulate in their country of residence (or in the nearest country) for a student visa. Students must bring their letter of acceptance issued by the University with them when applying for a student visa. For more about student visa, please click here.

In the event that admitted students who completed their undergraduate or graduate studies abroad do not have a diploma equivalency certificate, necessary equivalence and recognition applications will be submitted by our University to the Recognition Unit of the Higher Education Council.

Certificate of Equivalence / Certificate of Recognition

Students who graduated from universities abroad must submit either a certificate of equivalence or a certificate of recognition based on their current status:

For Turkish citizens: Certificate of Equivalence obtainable from the Higher Education Council of Turkey

Prospective students whose Certificate of Equivalence has not been issued yet may complete their enrollment with their Certificate of Recognition. However, students must submit their “Certificate of Equivalence” to the University as soon as they receive it
TR citizens who hold bachelor’s degree diplomas from the universities in the TRNC are not subject to recognition or equivalence procedures. The diplomas of these students are recognized and deemed equivalent to those of the Turkish universities without further proceedings. However, TR citizens who hold master’s degree diplomas from the universities in TRNC must apply for a Certificate of Equivalence.
Rejection of the Certificate of Equivalence application will result in termination of enrollment at the University.

For International Students: “Certificate of Recognition” obtainable from the Higher Education Council of Turkey.

For prospective students who do not have a Diploma Recognition Certificate, necessary applications for the recognition, Recognition and acceptability of their diplomas will be submitted to the Recognition Office by our University.
Rejection of the Certificate of Recognition application will result in termination of enrollment at the University.