Fully Funded Scholarships in Turkey Without IELTS: Master’s and PhD

Contents

• Can you get a fully funded scholarship in Turkey without IELTS?

• Which scholarship routes work without an IELTS score?

• How does the Türkiye Scholarships Turkish year work?

• What should you prepare before applying?

• Turkish-taught or English-taught: how do requirements differ?

• Which route suits your applicant profile?

• Is the TÜBİTAK 2215 scholarship still open?

• What are your next steps?

• Real-World Examples

• Frequently Asked Questions

• References

• Legal Notice

Introduction

Yes, fully funded scholarships in Turkey without IELTS exist for master’s and PhD applicants. As of October 2026, the main route is Türkiye Scholarships, the government program run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). Its application guide asks for language test results only where the chosen university or program requires them, and every award holder is offered a one-year Turkish course.

The demand is large. YTB reported on 26 February 2026 that the 2026 call drew nearly 200,000 applications, a record for the program. That makes the language question practical rather than theoretical: an applicant without an English test can still compete, but needs to know which programs and documents make that possible.

This article covers graduate study only, not undergraduate admission. It draws on official pages from YTB, the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), the Official Gazette and university graduate schools. Application windows, age limits and eligible programs can change between calls, and each section marks where that applies.

Can you get a fully funded scholarship in Turkey without IELTS?

You can, but the route depends on the language of your program. Türkiye Scholarships lists language test results only “if required by the chosen university or program”, according to its application steps page accessed in October 2026. Turkish-taught master’s and PhD programs generally rely on Turkish proficiency instead, which the scholarship helps award holders build during a one-year course.

“Fully funded” needs a clear definition here. On its official overview page, Türkiye Scholarships lists university and department placement, tuition fees, a monthly stipend, general health insurance, a one-year Turkish course, accommodation support and a one-time return flight. For graduate students, the same page states that dormitory access is provided in the first year, with housing support offered afterwards. Stipend levels vary by study level and are published by the program; this article does not repeat amounts.

IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is one of several English tests Turkish universities accept. It is rarely the only option. The Türkiye Scholarships application page names TOEFL and DELF as examples of international language tests, which shows that the program frames language evidence by program, not by a single brand of exam.

Applicants also need to meet the program’s academic and age limits. For the 2026 call, Türkiye Scholarships published these thresholds on its criteria page:

• Master’s applicants under the age of 30

• PhD applicants under the age of 35

• A minimum academic achievement of 75% for graduate candidates

• A minimum of 90% for health sciences candidates in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy

An international student, in the Türkiye Scholarships context, follows the general Turkish definition. 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. The criteria page excludes Turkish citizens and people who have lost Turkish citizenship.

Which scholarship routes work without an IELTS score?

Three routes allow graduate applicants to proceed without an IELTS result, and they differ sharply in what they fund. Türkiye Scholarships covers a full degree. University-level exemptions remove the test requirement for admission but do not provide money on their own. The TWAS-TÜBİTAK fellowship accepts a statement of English-medium education but funds a research stay, not a degree.

The table below compares the three routes on the criteria an applicant without IELTS needs to weigh. Each row reflects the official source named in the last column.

Table 1. Graduate funding and admission routes that can work without IELTS, as of October 2026

Türkiye Scholarships is the only option in the table that qualifies as a fully funded degree scholarship. It also places award holders at a university, so the applicant does not apply for admission and funding separately. Applicants rank up to 12 university options in the online application, according to the Türkiye Scholarships overview page.

University exemptions matter when combining admission with a different funding source. The Middle East Technical University (METU) graduate school, in a page updated 19 November 2025, allows international students whose mother tongue or official language is English, and who graduated from an English-medium university, to mark an “I am a native Speaker” option instead of uploading a test result.

The TWAS-TÜBİTAK fellowship, run with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), suits doctoral students already enrolled in their home country. Its page states that medical insurance is not provided, so it does not meet a strict “fully funded” definition.

How does the Türkiye Scholarships Turkish year work?

Türkiye Scholarships offers every award holder a one-year Turkish course, and for Turkish-taught programs that course replaces the need for any English test. The program’s FAQ, accessed in October 2026, describes 960 hours of general Turkish and 140 hours of academic Turkish. Completion is based on obtaining a C1-level Turkish proficiency certificate.

The program presents the course as part of the award, not as an extra cost:

We offer 1 year of free Turkish language education to all our students.
— Türkiye Scholarships, “Why Türkiye Scholarships” page, accessed 26 October 2026

The course usually runs at a TÖMER. TÖMER is the common name for the Turkish language teaching centres attached to Turkish universities, which provide Turkish courses and issue certificates of Turkish proficiency. The end goal is a document graduate schools recognize. A Certificate of Turkish Proficiency is the document showing an applicant’s level of Turkish and required for admission to Turkish-medium programs; the accepted level varies between universities.

The Turkish year also applies to most award holders in English-taught programs. The Türkiye Scholarships FAQ states that students placed in departments teaching in English, Arabic or French also complete the one-year Turkish preparatory education. Two exceptions appear on the same page. Applicants holding a C1 certificate from the Yunus Emre Institute are exempt. Where the program directorate considers it appropriate, students in foreign-language programs may start their department directly, provided they submit the requested Turkish certificate before finishing their scholarship period.

Attendance and progress are part of the award conditions. The FAQ sets a monthly absence limit of 20 hours and a total limit of 100 unexcused lesson hours, each linked to a stipend consequence. It also explains that a student who has not reached C1 after the first year keeps a second year to do so, with the scholarship paused until a certificate is submitted and academic study begins. Reading these rules before arrival helps students plan a steady first year.

What should you prepare before applying?

Preparation for a no-IELTS application centers on academic documents, not test scores. The Türkiye Scholarships application steps page, accessed in October 2026, lists identity documents, a recent photo, a diploma or temporary graduation certificate and a transcript. PhD applicants add a research proposal and a writing sample. Language and international exam results appear only where the chosen program requires them.

Applications are submitted through the Türkiye Scholarships online system, which the program says accepts applications in 8 languages. The 2026 call ran from 10 January to 20 February 2026, according to YTB’s announcement of 15 January 2026. The next call’s dates had not been published as of October 2026, so the window below is a reference point, not a confirmed date.

• Confirm the language of instruction for each of your 12 program choices on the graduate school’s own page

• Check your age against the limits on the Türkiye Scholarships criteria page for your level

• Calculate whether your grade average meets the 75% graduate threshold, or 90% for medicine, dentistry or pharmacy

• Request an official transcript and a diploma or temporary graduation certificate

• Draft a research proposal and select a writing sample if you are applying for a PhD

• Gather any GRE or GMAT result only if a chosen program lists it

• Ask your university for a letter confirming English as the medium of instruction, in case a program accepts it

• Note the previous call window, 10 January to 20 February 2026, and watch for the next announcement

Two documents deserve extra care. The first is the medium-of-instruction letter. It does not replace IELTS under Türkiye Scholarships rules, which defer to each university, but some graduate schools and fellowships accept it. The TWAS-TÜBİTAK page, for example, asks applicants educated in English for a signed and dated statement describing that education.

The second is the research proposal. For PhD applicants who will be placed at a university without a separate admission process, the proposal is often the clearest signal of fit between the candidate and a thesis supervisor. Türkiye Scholarships states on its benefits page that shortlisted candidates undergo an interview, in person or online, which typically explores the same goals.

Graduate schools may also apply their own documents after placement. A graduate school is the academic unit within a Turkish university that runs graduate education and manages application and enrolment procedures. Each graduate school publishes its enrollment list, and that list can differ from the scholarship’s application list.

Turkish-taught or English-taught: how do requirements differ?

The language of instruction changes what a graduate school asks for. Turkish-taught master’s and PhD programs typically require Turkish proficiency, often at C1, and many allow time to obtain it after admission. English-taught programs typically require English evidence, though some universities accept native-speaker status or an English-medium degree. Rules come from each university’s senate.

National regulation sets the frame. The Regulation on the Principles of Foreign Language Teaching and Teaching in a Foreign Language in Higher Education Institutions, published in the Official Gazette on 23 March 2016 (No. 29662), lets universities exempt students who completed at least their last three years of secondary education in a country where the language of instruction is spoken natively. Article 6 of the same regulation also allows exemption through central or international exams at a score set by the university senate.

Table 2. Typical graduate admission language requirements by language of instruction

Erciyes University’s directive for international graduate students, adopted by its senate on 13 February 2025, shows the Turkish-taught pattern. It asks for C1 Turkish for Turkish-taught programs, waives that requirement for foreign nationals who graduated from a Turkish higher education institution, and gives applicants without C1 up to four semesters after admission to obtain it at the university’s TÖMER.

METU’s graduate school shows the English-taught pattern. Its page, updated 19 November 2025, accepts its own METU-EPE exam and other recognized tests, states that English scores are valid for two years, and allows the native-speaker option for eligible applicants.

For someone without IELTS, the comparison points in one direction. A Turkish-taught program, combined with Türkiye Scholarships, removes the English test from the application entirely. An English-taught program can still work, but only where the specific graduate school accepts an alternative the applicant already holds.

Which route suits your applicant profile?

The best route depends on three facts about the applicant: the language of the target program, whether a degree or a research stay is the goal, and whether the applicant already speaks English as a mother tongue. Türkiye Scholarships fits many degree-seekers without IELTS. University exemptions suit native English speakers with other funding. TWAS-TÜBİTAK suits enrolled doctoral researchers.

An applicant aiming for a full master’s or PhD, without any English test, fits the Türkiye Scholarships route with Turkish-taught programs. The program covers the Turkish year, and Turkish-taught programs make the English question irrelevant. Competition is the main factor to weigh: YTB recorded 125,668 applications in 2025 and nearly 200,000 in 2026.

An applicant whose mother tongue or official language is English, and who studied in English, can consider English-taught programs at universities with a native-speaker option, such as the METU arrangement described in its November 2025 page. Türkiye Scholarships can still fund this applicant, since the program defers to university requirements.

A doctoral student already enrolled at home, in an eligible natural or applied science field, may look at the TWAS-TÜBİTAK 2216B fellowship. The TÜBİTAK page sets an age limit of 35 on 31 December of the application year and a stay of 6 to 12 months. It is a research visit, so it complements rather than replaces a degree scholarship.

The scale of self-funding offers useful context. According to Göç Vakfı’s report of 19 April 2024, citing YÖK President Erol Özvar, about 95% of international students in Turkey fund their own studies. Full scholarships therefore cover a small share of the student body, and a realistic plan includes admission to a program even if the scholarship is not awarded.

Primary rules and institutional practice should be kept apart. Türkiye Scholarships sets the funding rules. Each university senate sets the admission language rules. When the two seem to conflict, the university’s rule decides admission, and the scholarship’s rule decides funding.

Is the TÜBİTAK 2215 scholarship still open?

No. The TÜBİTAK 2215 Graduate Scholarship Programme for International Students no longer accepts applications. TÜBİTAK announced on 16 October 2015 that the 2215 program, together with the 2235 program for least developed countries, was repealed by its Science Committee. Several third-party scholarship pages seen in October 2026 describe 2215 as an open, English-test-based option.

The confusion is understandable. TÜBİTAK 2215 once funded international master’s and PhD students in natural sciences, engineering, medical, agricultural and social sciences, for up to 2 years at master’s level and 4 years at PhD level, according to TÜBİTAK announcements reproduced by Sabancı University. University and embassy pages from that era remain online and appear in search results without a date warning.

TÜBİTAK’s own announcement is explicit about the status of both programs:

They will not be open to the applications.
— TÜBİTAK, announcement on the 2215 and 2235 graduate scholarship programmes, 16 October 2015

The same announcement points international graduate applicants toward Türkiye Scholarships instead. That redirection matters for applicants without IELTS, because Türkiye Scholarships is also the route with the most flexible language rule. An applicant who spends time preparing a 2215 application, including an English test result, is preparing for a call that will not open.

TÜBİTAK remains active in international research funding through other programs. The 2216B program run with TWAS, and the 2216 Research Fellowship Programme for International Researchers named on the 2216B page, are research fellowships rather than degree scholarships. Their eligibility rules, including English evidence, differ from the former 2215 rules.

A second point is often misread. Some summaries suggest that Türkiye Scholarships never requires any language test. The official application page states something narrower: language test results are requested if the chosen university or program requires them. An award holder placed in an English-taught program may still be asked for English evidence by that program.

A useful habit follows from both cases. Before relying on a scholarship description, check the publishing date and confirm the program on the funder’s own site. For TÜBİTAK that means its program pages; for Türkiye Scholarships it means turkiyeburslari.gov.tr and YTB announcements.

What are your next steps?

The next steps run in a fixed order: choose the language of instruction, shortlist programs, confirm each program’s language evidence, then prepare for the next Türkiye Scholarships call. As of October 2026, the 2027 call dates had not been announced; the 2026 call ran from 10 January to 20 February 2026, according to YTB.

1. Decide between Turkish-taught and English-taught programs, using the comparison in Table 2. For applicants without any English test, Turkish-taught programs remove the English requirement.

2. Shortlist up to 12 programs, matching the number of choices the Türkiye Scholarships application allows.

3. Open each graduate school’s admission page and record its language rule, the accepted evidence and its validity period. METU, for example, accepts English scores for two years.

4. Check your age and grade average against the Türkiye Scholarships criteria page for the coming call.

5. Prepare transcripts, diplomas and, for PhD applicants, a research proposal and writing sample.

6. Consider the Yunus Emre Institute’s Turkish Proficiency Exam (TYS) if you already study Turkish. YÖK’s letter of 30 July 2025 lists 60 exam centers in 52 countries for the September 2025 session, with certificates issued at B2 and C1.

7. Watch the official YTB and Türkiye Scholarships channels from December onward, since the 2026 call opened on 10 January.

The TYS deserves a word on scope. A C1 certificate from the Yunus Emre Institute exempts Türkiye Scholarships award holders from the Turkish preparatory year, according to the program’s FAQ. A B2 certificate does not carry that exemption under the same rule, but it shows progress and may help at universities with lower Turkish thresholds.

A backup plan is part of a sound application. Since about 95% of international students in Turkey fund their own studies, according to Göç Vakfı’s April 2024 report, applying for admission directly to graduate schools in parallel keeps options open if the scholarship decision is negative.

Rules change between calls. Age limits, grade thresholds, the number of university choices and the Turkish course structure should all be rechecked on the official pages when the next call opens. This article is scheduled for review on 25 November 2026.

Real-World Examples

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

Amina, master’s applicant in public health

Amina holds a bachelor’s degree taught in French and has never taken an English test. She wants a master’s in Turkey and has no personal funding. She focuses her 12 Türkiye Scholarships choices on Turkish-taught programs, since those do not ask for English evidence. She checks the criteria page and confirms she is under 30 and above the 75% grade threshold. If she is awarded, her first year will be the Turkish course, ending with a C1 certificate. She also notes the attendance rules in the program FAQ and plans her first year around them.

Daniel, native English speaker aiming for engineering

Daniel grew up in a country where English is the official language and studied engineering at an English-medium university. He prefers English-taught programs. He finds that some graduate schools, such as METU in its November 2025 page, let applicants in his position mark a native-speaker option instead of uploading a test result. He lists those programs in his Türkiye Scholarships application and keeps a medium-of-instruction letter ready. For programs without that option, he moves them lower on his list or replaces them.

Farah, PhD candidate already enrolled at home

Farah is enrolled in a doctoral program in chemistry in her home country and wants to spend a period working in a Turkish laboratory. She does not need a full degree in Turkey. She reads the TWAS-TÜBİTAK 2216B page and sees that a signed statement describing English-medium education is accepted. She is under 35 and secures an acceptance letter from a Turkish public university. Because the fellowship does not include insurance, she arranges her own comprehensive coverage before the stay begins and confirms the next call dates on TÜBİTAK’s site.

Yusuf, applicant who found an old scholarship page

Yusuf found a university page describing the TÜBİTAK 2215 scholarship and started preparing an English test booking for it. Before paying, he checks TÜBİTAK’s own site and finds the 16 October 2015 announcement repealing the program. He cancels the test booking and redirects his plan to Türkiye Scholarships, which the same announcement recommends for international graduate applicants. He also applies directly to two Turkish-taught master’s programs at graduate schools that allow four semesters to reach C1, keeping a second path open while he waits for the scholarship result.

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. Applicants planning a funded master’s or PhD can compare Turkish-taught and English-taught programs through Atlas, follow scholarship and graduate school application periods, track announcements from universities, and start a free application through the Universities section. Program pages list the language of instruction, which helps applicants without an English test focus on suitable options.

Legal Notice

This article provides general information about scholarship and language requirements for international master’s and PhD applicants in Turkey. Scholarship rules, regulations and university practices can change over time, and program conditions vary between application periods and institutions. Applicants should confirm every requirement with Türkiye Scholarships, the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), TÜBİTAK and the relevant university graduate school before applying. The article is not personal academic, legal or financial advice. The national rule referred to is the Regulation on the Principles of Foreign Language Teaching and Teaching in a Foreign Language in Higher Education Institutions (Official Gazette, 23 March 2016, No. 29662).