Which Programs Can You Apply to with Your ALES Score?

Contents

1. Which graduate programs accept an ALES score?

2. What are the three ALES score types?

3. How do universities weigh the ALES score?

4. How do you find a program’s required score type?

5. Which program levels require ALES, and which can waive it?

6. Do international students need an ALES score?

7. Is an ALES score valid for five years at every university?

8. What should you do before applying with an ALES score?

9. Real-World Examples

10. Frequently Asked Questions

11. References

12. Legal Notice

Introduction

An ALES score lets you apply to graduate programs in Turkey whose announced score type matches your result: quantitative, verbal or equally weighted. Thesis-based master’s and doctoral programs generally ask for ALES under the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, while non-thesis master’s programs may waive it. International applicants are often assessed under separate university rules, where ALES may be optional or replaced by GRE or GMAT results.

Here, ALES means the graduate entrance exam for master’s and PhD admission in Turkey; “masters” and “master’s” refer to the same degree. The guide answers five questions: which score type a program wants, which levels need ALES, how much the score counts, whether foreign nationals need it, and how long a result stays usable.

The sources are the regulation itself, the European Commission’s Eurydice country description of Türkiye, ÖSYM’s exam guide and 2026 calendar, and published admission announcements from Middle East Technical University (METU), Erciyes University, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Anadolu University and Boğaziçi University. According to Gazete Birlik on 10 May 2026, 176,823 candidates applied for the 2026-ALES/1 session. Exam dates, application windows and program conditions change every semester, so treat every example here as a snapshot dated October 2026.

Which graduate programs accept an ALES score?

An ALES score is accepted by graduate programs in Turkey that list ALES among their admission criteria, mainly thesis-based master’s programs, doctoral programs and some non-thesis master’s programs. Each program names one or more score types. Your score qualifies you to apply only in the score type the program announces, and the university senate sets the minimum standard you must reach.

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. The ÖSYM guide for the 2025-ALES/3 session, published in October 2025, describes ALES as a test that produces scores for institutions to use. Those uses include graduate admission, selection for graduate study abroad and certain completion programs for technical teachers.

The legal basis is the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, published in the Official Gazette on 20 April 2016 (No. 29690) under Article 44(c) of Law No. 2547 on Higher Education. The Lexpera legislation database records the latest amendment to that regulation as 6 March 2026.

In practice, ALES is used at three program levels:

• A master’s with thesis is a graduate program completed through coursework and the preparation of a thesis. Its admission generally relies on ALES.

• A master’s without thesis is a coursework-focused graduate program completed with a term project instead of a thesis. Universities may waive ALES for it.

• Doctoral programs, including the integrated doctorate route, generally ask for ALES, with a higher threshold for applicants who hold only a bachelor’s degree.

Each program is run by a graduate school. A graduate school is the academic unit within a Turkish university that runs graduate education and manages application and enrolment procedures. The graduate school’s semester announcement, not a general rule, tells you which score type and which minimum apply. For example, Erciyes University’s Graduate School of Social Sciences listed 33 thesis-based master’s programs and sub-fields for fall 2026-2027, each with its own score type, in an announcement dated 22 May 2026.

What are the three ALES score types?

ALES produces three score types from one sitting: quantitative, verbal and equally weighted. Each type weights the quantitative test and the verbal test differently. Graduate programs name the type that suits their field, so the same ALES result can be strong for one program and weak for another. Turkish announcements label them Sayısal, Sözel and Eşit Ağırlık, sometimes shortened to SAY, SÖZ and EA.

An ALES score type is a weighted result, quantitative, verbal or equally weighted, that the Student Selection and Placement Centre (ÖSYM) calculates from the same ALES sitting and that a graduate program names as its admission basis. METU’s Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences confirms the three-way split on its Archaeometry program page, updated 9 September 2026, which states that the ALES score type may be quantitative, verbal or equal weight.

The ÖSYM guide for 2025-ALES/3 sets out the test structure behind the types: a quantitative test of 50 questions on numerical and logical reasoning, and a verbal test of 50 questions on verbal reasoning. Candidates have 150 minutes for both.

Which fields use which type depends on the university. The pattern below is drawn from two Erciyes University announcements dated 22 May 2026, one from the Graduate School of Social Sciences and one from the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences. It shows typical matches, not a national rule.

Table 1. ALES score types and the fields that typically name them (Erciyes University announcements, 22 May 2026)

Some programs accept two or three types. In the Erciyes Graduate School of Social Sciences list, four of the 33 thesis-based master’s listings accepted more than one type, and three of those four included the quantitative type. Programs that accept several types give applicants from mixed academic backgrounds more room.

How do universities weigh the ALES score?

Universities combine the ALES score with other criteria, and the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training sets a floor for its weight. For thesis-based master’s and doctoral programs, the ALES score generally counts for at least 50% of the evaluation. University senates set the exact formula, which may add the undergraduate grade point average, a written scientific assessment and an interview.

Eurydice’s description of second-cycle programs in Türkiye, last updated 19 May 2025, summarizes the regulation: applications are evaluated by considering at least 50% of the ALES score. The same weight rule appears in the Eurydice page on third-cycle programs. Article 5(4) of the regulation allows universities to add the undergraduate grade average, a written scientific assessment or an interview to the ALES score.

A scientific assessment is a written or oral evaluation of subject knowledge administered by a university as part of its graduate admissions; it is not a centralised examination and its scope varies by program. When a program uses one, a high ALES score does not settle the outcome on its own. A weaker ALES result can be balanced by strong grades or a good assessment, within the weights the senate sets.

Universities may also skip the extra steps. Eurydice puts it directly for doctoral admission:

Universities may also accept students with ALES score only.
— Eurydice, European Commission, “Third-cycle (PhD) programmes” (Türkiye), last updated 19 May 2025

The Istanbul Medeniyet University graduate school page for foreign applicants shows another formula: thesis and doctoral candidates are ranked on 50% graduation grade and 50% admission exam grade. The METU directive for international applications, last updated 23 December 2025, lists ALES, GRE or GMAT among several evaluation criteria rather than as a stand-alone gate.

Two programs can name the same score type, yet one may admit on ALES alone while another gives half the weight to an interview. Each program’s announcement states the formula for that semester.

How do you find a program’s required score type?

A program’s required ALES score type is printed in the graduate school’s semester announcement, usually in a table beside the quota and the minimum score. You find it by opening the current announcement for the exact program and level, then checking the score type column, any accepted equivalents and the validity rule. Program web pages can lag behind the announcement.

Announcements in Turkey are issued per semester and per graduate school. The two Erciyes University announcements dated 22 May 2026 illustrate the variety: the Graduate School of Social Sciences list states a score type for every program, while the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences list sets its general condition on the quantitative score. An applicant who reads only one of them would miss half the picture.

Program pages and announcements can differ in detail. METU’s Archaeometry page, updated 9 September 2026, names all three score types as acceptable, while a fall 2026-2027 announcement published by METU’s Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering explains that the graduate schools retrieve ALES scores automatically. Where a program page and a semester announcement differ, the current announcement is the safer reference.

Use this list before you apply:

• Open the current semester’s announcement from the graduate school that runs the program.

• Find the exact program and level: master’s with thesis, master’s without thesis or doctorate.

• Read the score type column and note every accepted type.

• Compare that type with the score type on your ÖSYM result document.

• Check whether GRE or GMAT results are accepted as equivalents for that program.

• Confirm the validity window the graduate school applies to ALES results.

• Write to the graduate school if the program page and the announcement disagree.

Score type labels can also differ between languages. A Turkish announcement may print Eşit Ağırlık where the English page says “equal weight” or “equally weighted”. The Boğaziçi University Department of Primary Education admissions page for 2025-2026, for instance, lists the requirement as “ALES Equal Weight” and names GRE and GMAT alternatives in the same line. Reading both language versions of an announcement helps avoid applying with the wrong score type.

Which program levels require ALES, and which can waive it?

ALES requirements differ by program level. Under the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, master’s with thesis and doctoral programs generally require an ALES score in the program’s score type, while non-thesis master’s programs may waive it. Fine arts faculty and conservatory programs are generally exempt, and several groups of advanced degree holders are exempt from the master’s requirement.

Eurydice’s second-cycle page, updated 19 May 2025, records that “ALES score may not be a prerequisite for applications to non-thesis master’s programs”, with the base score set by university senates when one is used. The Erciyes University Graduate School of Social Sciences announcement of 22 May 2026 applies that option to its evening non-thesis programs, stating that ALES is not compulsory for them.

For doctoral study, the regulation treats applicants differently depending on their previous degree. An integrated doctorate is a route allowing admission directly into a doctoral program with a bachelor’s degree, without a master’s degree. Eurydice’s third-cycle page states that this route generally requires a higher ALES result than the master’s graduate route, together with a strong undergraduate grade average.

Table 2. How the ALES requirement changes by program level (Regulation on Graduate Education and Training; Eurydice, 19 May 2025)

Medical basic sciences show how score types and program levels combine. Eurydice’s third-cycle page states that medical faculty graduates applying to these doctoral programs need a result in the ALES quantitative score type. Applicants outside medicine apply with a master’s degree and the same score type.

Do international students need an ALES score?

International students may not need an ALES score, but the answer depends on the university. Article 35 of the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training leaves the admission of foreign nationals to rules set by each university senate. Some universities waive ALES completely, some accept GRE or GMAT instead, and some admit foreign nationals through a separate announcement.

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. That status matters because some graduate schools, such as Erciyes University’s Graduate School of Social Sciences, publish one announcement for Turkish citizens and another for international applicants, each with its own rules.

The published practices differ widely. The Istanbul Medeniyet University graduate school page for foreign students states that “ALES or an equivalent exam result document is not required from foreign national candidates” for thesis and doctoral programs, and it waives ALES for non-thesis programs as well. The METU directive for international applications, last updated 23 December 2025, treats ALES, GRE or GMAT as evaluation criteria and allows conditional acceptance when a score is missing. Anadolu University’s 2026-2027 fall announcement for international students lists a foreign language requirement and Turkish proficiency rules but no ALES requirement.

In the international announcements reviewed for this guide, language documents carry more weight than an entrance exam. 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. 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. Istanbul Medeniyet University asks for C1-level Turkish for Turkish-medium programs.

Is an ALES score valid for five years at every university?

No single validity window applies everywhere. ÖSYM states that ALES results are valid for five years from the date they are announced, but a graduate school may accept a shorter window in its own rules. Applicants holding an older result should check the validity rule of each program before relying on that score.

The ÖSYM guide for 2025-ALES/3 states the five-year rule directly, and the Erciyes University announcements of 22 May 2026 repeat it: ALES results are valid for five years. Many applicants take that as a national guarantee.

The METU directive for international applications, last updated 23 December 2025, shows why that assumption can mislead. Article 6(2) of the METU directive accepts ALES results for three years and GRE and GMAT results for five years. The difference reflects METU’s own senate rule, which the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training allows when it leaves the details of evaluation to university senates.

A second common confusion concerns score types. A strong quantitative result does not carry over into a verbal or equally weighted program. An applicant who scored well in the quantitative type but applies to a history program that names only the verbal type is assessed on the verbal type, as the Erciyes Graduate School of Social Sciences list of 22 May 2026 makes clear.

A third confusion concerns equivalents. GRE and GMAT results are generally accepted where YÖK has recognized an equivalence and the program’s announcement names them. The Erciyes University Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences announcement of 22 May 2026 accepts GRE or GMAT results with equivalent points recognized by YÖK. Conversion tables vary between graduate schools; METU publishes its own GRE-to-ALES table, updated 30 July 2025.

What should you do before applying with an ALES score?

Before applying with an ALES score, match your ALES score type to each target program, confirm the validity window and decide whether a new sitting is worth it. ÖSYM’s 2026 calendar lists three ALES sessions, with 2026-ALES/3 on 29 November 2026. Results for late-year sessions can arrive close to spring application deadlines, so timing matters.

According to ÖSYM’s 2026 calendar as reported by Milliyet on 15 November 2025, the sessions are ALES/1 on 10 May 2026, ALES/2 on 26 July 2026 and ALES/3 on 29 November 2026. Gzt reported on 18 August 2026 that 2026-ALES/3 results are due on 17 December 2026. The fall 2026-2027 announcement published by METU’s Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering shows how universities handle timing: candidates awaiting 2026-ALES/1 results, expected around 5 June 2026, were evaluated separately.

A practical sequence looks like this:

1. List the programs you want and the level of each: master’s with thesis, master’s without thesis or doctorate.

2. Record the score type each program names in its current announcement.

3. Compare those types with the score types on your ÖSYM result and note the gaps.

4. Check whether each program accepts GRE or GMAT, and whether international applicants are exempt.

5. If a needed score type is weak or your result is outside a program’s validity window, consider a later ALES session.

6. Prepare the other parts of the evaluation, such as transcripts, language certificates and interview preparation.

International applicants should add one step: confirm whether a degree from abroad needs YÖK recognition before admission. A Certificate of Recognition is a document confirming that a higher education institution abroad, and the specific program attended there, appear among the institutions recognised by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK); it does not mean the diploma has been declared equivalent to a Turkish qualification. Istanbul Medeniyet University, for example, asks foreign degree holders for a recognition or equivalence document.

Rules and calendars change each semester, so recheck each announcement in the month you apply.

Real-World Examples

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

Aylin and the wrong score type. Aylin, a Turkish citizen with an economics degree, scored well in the quantitative type and planned to apply to a thesis-based master’s in history. The history program’s announcement named only the verbal type, where her result was lower. She compared three universities’ announcements and found an interdisciplinary program accepting all three types. She applied there with her quantitative score and kept the history program as a target for a later ALES session, after preparing for the verbal test.

Daniel, an international applicant without ALES. Daniel, a graduate from Kenya, assumed he had to sit ALES in Turkey before applying to a master’s in public administration. He read the graduate school’s separate announcement for international applicants and found that ALES was not required for foreign nationals there. The announcement asked instead for Turkish proficiency at C1 level, which he did not yet have. He applied to an English-taught program at another university and enrolled in a TÖMER course to prepare for a Turkish-medium doctorate later.

Selin and an older ALES result. Selin had an ALES result announced four years before her application. She knew ÖSYM’s five-year rule and planned to use it at two universities. One graduate school accepted the result. The other applied a three-year window for international applicants. Selin sent the first application with her existing score, registered for a later ALES session, and planned the second application for the following semester with a fresh result.

Omar and the integrated doctorate. Omar, who held a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, wanted to apply directly to a doctoral program. The announcement listed the integrated doctorate route with a higher ALES threshold in the quantitative type and a strong grade average. His grades met the expectation, but his ALES result fell short of the higher threshold. He applied to the master’s with thesis in the same department, which used the lower master’s threshold, keeping the doctorate as a later goal.

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 can check which programs list an ALES score type, compare entrance requirements across graduate schools through Atlas, follow application periods and exam-related announcements, and start a free application through the Universities section.

Legal Notice

This article provides general information about the use of ALES scores in graduate admission in Turkey. It is not personal academic, legal or financial advice. The Regulation on Graduate Education and Training (Official Gazette, 20 April 2016, No. 29690, as amended) and the rules of each university senate can change over time, and program conditions, score types, minimums and validity windows vary by university and by semester. Before applying, confirm every requirement with the Student Selection and Placement Centre (ÖSYM), the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and the graduate school that runs your program.