English-Taught Master’s in Computer Science and AI in Turkey

Contents

1. What is an English-taught master’s in computer science in Turkey?

2. Which Turkish universities offer CS and AI master’s in English?

3. How do international students apply?

4. Which documents and exams should you prepare?

5. Thesis or non-thesis: how do the two routes compare?

6. How do universities differ on exams, tests and intakes?

7. Is every “English-taught” AI master’s fully in English?

8. What should you do next?

9. Real-World Examples

10. Frequently Asked Questions

11. References

12. Legal Notice

Introduction

Several Turkish universities teach master’s programs in computer science, computer engineering and artificial intelligence (AI) entirely in English. Confirmed examples as of October 2026 include Middle East Technical University (METU), Bilkent University, Boğaziçi University, Sabancı University, Koç University and Bahçeşehir University (BAU). International students apply directly to each university’s graduate school, usually with transcripts, English test results and, at many universities, GRE or ALES scores.

This guide treats a “masters”, an “MSc” and a “graduate degree” in computer science as the same second-cycle degree, not a short online AI certificate. The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) Higher Education Statistics Bulletin of 27 March 2026 counts 330,464 master’s students and 208 higher education institutions in Turkey in the 2025–2026 academic year.

Sources include YÖK regulations, the Study in Türkiye portal, the Stanford AI Index and official university pages. Application windows and exam policies change each academic year, so every date and policy here is stated as of October 2026.

What is an English-taught master’s in computer science in Turkey?

An English-taught master’s in computer science in Turkey is a second-cycle graduate degree, usually a Master of Science, in which courses, examinations and the thesis or term project are delivered in English. Under a YÖK regulation published in the Official Gazette on 23 March 2016 (No. 29662), a graduate program may be taught partly or fully in a foreign language only after a university senate decision and YÖK approval.

That regulation on foreign-language teaching was last amended on 14 March 2024 (Official Gazette No. 32489), according to the consolidated text checked in October 2026. The language of a program is therefore an approved, recorded feature that applicants can check on official pages.

Graduate study in Turkey is organized through graduate schools. A graduate school is the academic unit within a Turkish university that runs graduate education and manages application and enrolment procedures. Computer science programs usually sit in a science and engineering graduate school, while some data and cognitive science programs sit in a graduate school of informatics, as at METU.

English-medium instruction is the teaching of academic courses in English at a university located in a country where English is not the main national language. Research by Dogan Yuksel, Mehmet Altay and Samantha Curle, published by Bloomsbury in 2022, found that English-medium programs in Turkish higher education grew more than fourfold between 1999 and 2019. Computer engineering was among the five leading English-medium subjects in 1999.

Turkey joined the Bologna Process in 2001, according to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), so credits follow the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The European Commission’s ECTS Users’ Guide of 2015 states that 60 ECTS credits match a full-time academic year and that one credit corresponds to 25 to 30 hours of work.

Which Turkish universities offer CS and AI master’s in English?

As of October 2026, official university pages confirm English-taught master’s programs in computer science, computer engineering, AI or data science at METU, Bilkent, Boğaziçi, Sabancı, Koç and Bahçeşehir. These examples are a verified sample whose degree level and English medium of instruction were checked on official pages, not a complete national list.

Other universities may offer comparable programs, and the wider market is much larger. The Study in Türkiye portal describes 208 universities and nearly 45,000 degree programs across all levels. A YÖK statement reported by DHA on 12 December 2025, citing a British Council and Studyportals report, put the number of master’s programs listed for international students at 900.

Boğaziçi University also lists a Master of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, but its language of instruction was not stated on the page checked in October 2026, so it is not in the table.

How do international students apply?

International students apply for a master’s in Turkey directly to the chosen university, not through a central national placement. Article 35 of YÖK’s Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, published in the Official Gazette on 20 April 2016 (No. 29690), leaves the admission rules for foreign nationals to each university senate. Each graduate school then publishes its own requirements, application system and calendar.

The government’s Study in Türkiye portal describes the same principle:

International students who wish to pursue their graduate / post-graduate studies in Turkey also apply directly to the universities, which set their own admissions requirements.
— Study in Türkiye, Turkish Higher Education System page, accessed October 2026

An international student is a person who is not a citizen of the Republic of Turkey and who is admitted to a higher education institution under international student status. YÖK’s Higher Education Statistics Bulletin of 27 March 2026 records 152,471 new master’s enrollments in 2025–2026, each handled by an individual graduate school.

Applicants choose programs, check the intake semester and register in each university’s online system: METU runs its own graduate application portal, Bilkent uses its STARS graduate application system, and Koç uses a dedicated application platform. Sabancı University’s 2026–2027 graduate requirements page states, “Applications sent via e-mail will not be evaluated.” Departments then review the files, and admitted students receive an acceptance letter from the university.

A separate route runs through Türkiye Scholarships, managed by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). YTB announced on 15 January 2026 that 2026 applications would run from 10 January to 20 February 2026 for associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels, and reported 125,668 applications from 171 countries in 2025.

Which documents and exams should you prepare?

English-taught computer science master’s programs in Turkey generally ask for a bachelor’s diploma or expected graduation letter, transcripts, proof of English proficiency, and often a graduate exam score such as the GRE or ALES. The exact list differs by university and sometimes by program, so the program page for the target intake is the deciding source.

ALES is the centralised examination administered by the Student Selection and Placement Centre (ÖSYM) and used in applications to graduate programs and in academic staff recruitment in Turkey. International applicants often submit the GRE, the Graduate Record Examinations, instead. METU’s Graduate School of Informatics states that all of its programs require graduate exam scores and accepts either ALES or the GRE.

English proficiency evidence also varies. Bilkent University lists three accepted tests: TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic and its own PAE. Sabancı University’s 2026–2027 graduate requirements page lists TOEFL iBT, PTE, CAE, CPE, YDS, YÖKDİL and e-TEP, alongside its own English Language Assessment Exam (ELAE). Koç University’s MSc pages list TOEFL iBT, YDS and YÖKDİL.

Graduates of foreign universities may face an extra recognition step. METU’s Graduate School of Informatics asks foreign nationals who graduated abroad to upload a Recognition Letter, and Sabancı’s requirements page refers to YÖK recognition for foreign degrees. Applicants should follow each university’s own wording on this document.

• Confirm the program’s language of instruction on its official program or ECTS page

• Check whether the target intake is fall or spring

• Book the GRE or ALES if the program lists a graduate exam score

• Take an English test from the program’s own accepted list

• Request official transcripts and a diploma or expected graduation letter

• Ask the graduate school how it handles a degree earned abroad

Thesis or non-thesis: how do the two routes compare?

A master’s with thesis is a graduate program completed through coursework and the preparation of a thesis. A master’s without thesis is a coursework-focused graduate program completed with a term project instead of a thesis. In computer science and AI, the thesis route suits research or doctoral plans, while the non-thesis route is shorter and sometimes runs in the evening, as at METU.

The minimum structure of both routes is set in YÖK’s Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, and the European Commission’s Eurydice network summarized the same provisions on a page updated 18 September 2026. Universities may add requirements, so the table shows the national floor rather than one program’s curriculum.

Both durations exclude time spent in a scientific preparatory program. Under the ECTS Users’ Guide of 2015, the 120 ECTS minimum for the thesis route equals two full-time academic years, and the 60 ECTS minimum for the non-thesis route equals one.

Availability differs between universities. Bilkent’s catalogue states that its computer engineering M.S. candidates “must prepare and successfully defend a thesis.” Koç University and BAU offer both routes, and BAU gives two years for its thesis AI program and 18 months for the non-thesis one.

How do universities differ on exams, tests and intakes?

Turkish universities differ most on three points for an English-taught CS or AI master’s: whether a GRE or ALES score is required at application, which English tests are accepted, and whether a spring intake exists. The national regulation leaves admission of foreign nationals to university senates, so each of these points is an institutional practice, not a nationwide requirement.

Exam policies show the spread. Bilkent describes the GRE as obligatory for foreign students. Koç University’s thesis MSc lists the GRE as required, with ALES as an alternative. Sabancı lists ALES, GRE or GAT for thesis master’s programs in engineering and natural sciences, while its non-thesis requirements list no exam. Boğaziçi University’s admissions page lets candidates apply before submitting exam and English documents, though some programs may still expect a score at application.

English test acceptance also differs. Bilkent accepts IELTS Academic, while Sabancı’s requirements page notes that IELTS equivalency is not accepted by YÖK. METU’s international graduate handout and its Graduate School of Informatics page give different information on IELTS, so METU applicants should ask directly.

Intake calendars vary as well. As of October 2026, Bilkent and Boğaziçi listed open spring 2027 graduate applications. Sabancı’s Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences page showed only a fall 2026–2027 call, with a deadline of 15 June 2026, and Koç’s fall 2026–2027 MSc calls were marked as ended.

A practical decision rule is to shortlist programs by intake semester first, then by exam and English test fit.

Is every “English-taught” AI master’s fully in English?

Not always. Some Turkish computer science master’s programs are only partly taught in English, and some programs with “AI” in the title are taught in Turkish. Program names alone do not reveal the language of instruction. The official language label on the graduate school’s program list, ECTS package or international student page is the reliable indicator, and it can differ from what a translated program name suggests.

Partly English programs form one category. Istanbul Technical University (ITU) requires at least 30% of master’s course credits to come from English-language courses, according to its Graduate School FAQ checked in October 2026. Its Computer Engineering master’s therefore combines Turkish and English courses.

Turkish-taught AI and computing programs form a second category. Hacettepe University opened an Artificial Intelligence master’s under its Graduate School of Informatics, and its ECTS course records list Turkish as the course language. TOBB University of Economics and Technology lists its Computer Engineering master’s as Turkish-taught in its 2026–2027 table for international students. BAU’s ECTS catalogue includes a Turkish-taught master’s in Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Education, separate from its English-taught Artificial Intelligence master’s.

Labels can also separate two programs at one university. Ankara University’s Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences labels “Artificial Intelligence Technologies” as an English-taught thesis master’s, while its Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering master’s carries no English label.

Field names add a second layer. METU runs Computer Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Engineering as two separate M.S. programs within one department, so comparing course lists in the ECTS package is more reliable than comparing titles.

What should you do next?

Start with the intake you can realistically meet, then verify the language, exam and document rules for each program on the university’s own pages. As of October 2026, spring 2027 calls were open at Bilkent and Boğaziçi, while the Sabancı and Koç pages checked showed only fall 2026–2027 calls.

1. List three to six verified English-taught programs from each graduate school’s own program list.

2. Compare required courses, thesis rules and the stated language in each program’s ECTS package.

3. Record each intake semester and deadline, and recheck them when the next academic calendar appears.

4. Schedule the GRE or ALES and an English test from each program’s accepted list.

5. Ask each graduate school how it treats a degree earned abroad, then submit through its online system.

National policy gives useful context for the field. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2021–2025, published in August 2021 by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Digital Transformation Office and the Ministry of Industry and Technology, set 2025 targets of 10,000 graduate-level diploma holders in AI and 50,000 people employed in AI. These were national targets, not measured outcomes.

The Stanford AI Index Report 2024 placed Turkey sixth among the European countries it charted for new informatics master’s graduates in 2022. Rules and calendars change each academic year, so recheck every detail before submitting.

Real-World Examples

The examples in this section are illustrative scenarios created to explain situations applicants may encounter.

Amina holds a bachelor’s in software engineering and wants a research career in machine learning. She shortlists thesis master’s programs in computer engineering and artificial intelligence engineering. When she compares graduate school pages, she sees that one university asks for a GRE score at application while another requests exam results only after admission. She books the GRE early, keeps both options open, and writes to each graduate school to confirm which English tests they accept. Her plan covers both the spring and fall intakes.

Daniel works full time as a data analyst and wants a shorter program with a practical focus. He compares non-thesis master’s options in artificial intelligence and data science. The national regulation sets at least 60 ECTS and two to three semesters for a non-thesis master’s, which fits his schedule. He checks whether classes are held in the evening and whether a graduate exam is required. He also notes that a non-thesis degree is a less direct path to doctoral study, and accepts that trade-off.

Leyla finds a program called “Artificial Intelligence” on a Turkish university site and assumes it is taught in English. Before applying, she opens the program’s ECTS package and sees that the course language is Turkish. She returns to her search and filters by the language label on each graduate school’s program list. Her final shortlist contains three programs labeled English-taught on official graduate school lists, plus one partly English program she keeps as a backup option while she studies Turkish in the evenings.

Tomas studied electrical engineering and wants to move into computer science. One university tells him he may need to complete a scientific preparatory program before starting the master’s courses. He asks how long that program usually lasts and whether it affects his maximum study period. He learns that the regulation excludes preparatory time from the standard master’s duration. He plans for an extra term, asks for the preparatory course list in writing, and starts reviewing algorithms and data structures before enrollment.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Mezun Kampüsü
Mezun Kampüsü is a platform that brings together the graduate programs, application calendars and academic announcements of universities in Turkey. For applicants considering an English-taught master’s in computer science or artificial intelligence, it helps compare programs by language, thesis option and intake through Atlas, follow application periods and current university announcements, and start a free application through the Universities section.

Legal Notice

This article provides general information about English-taught master’s programs in computer science and artificial intelligence in Turkey. It is not personal academic, legal or financial advice. Regulations, including YÖK’s Regulation on Graduate Education and Training and its regulation on foreign-language teaching, and university practices can change over time. Program lists, language of instruction, exam policies and application periods vary by university and academic period. Applicants should confirm every detail with the relevant university and official institution before applying.