Definition of the Target Group(s)
The students of state higher education institutions can benefit from the support measures no matter what their type or cycle of education is.
In addition, there are students who pursue a bachelor, masters or doctoral degree in a foreign country can benefit from those support mechanisms. Special education support services provided by private bodies are provided only for the citizens of Turkish Republic. Foreigners eligible to receive the degree at a university in Turkey can get training in specified circumstances as long as they are entitled to do so. For more information, see the website.
Specific Support Measures
Financial support is provided to students in various ways by public and private institutions. These supports are in forms of grants/scholarships, student loans for living costs, student loans for tuition fees, financial supports for accommodation and nutrition and cheapening of some services by subsidization. Additionally, the parents of the students deduct specific amount of the expenditures that they make for their children's education from the tax. Excluding this general support, students have to supply other education and living expenses by themselves. Any support in the form of tax exemption for students or their parents is not provided.
Learning Improvement Support
The legal framework of these services is set by Law on Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution (Yüksek Öğrenim Kredi ve Yurtlar Kurumu Kanun), No. 351 and Law on Grant and Credit Provision for Higher Education Students (Yüksek Öğrenim Öğrencilerine Burs ve Kredi Verilmesine İlişkin Kanun), No. 5102. Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution (Yükseköğrenim Kredi ve Yurtlar Kurumu-YURT-KUR) is founded so as to conduct such services and provide coordination. Furthermore, other public institutions and organizations can provide grants, credit and money allowance to higher education students via this institution. In case of granting scholarship, credit or money allowance to higher education students by municipalities information such as the type of support, amount and for how many students and for how long the support will last are informed to YURT-KUR on November, February, May and August. Thus, much more students can be supported by following the financial supports which are provided to students.
Grant is the money given without remuneration for supplying living expenses of the higher education students during their education terms who are successful and in need of support in line with the law numbered 02 on Higher Education Scholarship/Loan provisions. Grants can be given to students who attend programs at any stage and level including graduate programs without making any distinction between public and foundation university students. How to grant scholarship is arranged by Regulation for Grant and Credit (Burs Kredi Yönetmeliği). This regulation includes who benefits from the grants and how it happens.
Number of students that will be granted scholarship for the first time is determined by plenary committee of the Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution (Yüksek Öğrenim Kredi ve Yurtlar Kurumu-YURT-KUR) considering the institution budget.
The continuation of grant is dependent on student's achievement. Achievement conditions of students who hold a grant are requested from the education institutions every year in September. Higher education institutions inform students who are found to be unsuccessful in accordance with the rudiments determined by authorized committees every year on October at the latest. Grants for the students who are informed to be unsuccessful by the education institutions are withdrawn and not granted again. Students whose grants are withdrawn can get credit in accordance with the rudiments determined by Regulation for Students Living Cost Credit (Öğrenim Kredisi Yönetmeliği) as per the date grants are withdrawn.
Students are given student loans by Credit and Hostels Authority in accordance with the set deadlines of scholarships to students in applied scholarship status at http://yurtkur.gsb.gov.tr. In 2020, 550TL is provided for undergraduate students, 1.100 TL for masters and 1.600TL for doctoral students.
While grants and learning credits used to be provided on a three-month basis, those payments have been provided on a monthly basis since 1 January 2015. Furthermore, they are encouraged to choose the successful students of teachers training institutions of higher education to increase the attractiveness of the teaching profession and the Ministry of National Education in order to raise the quality of education, scholarship students are supported (Gratis Boarding or Beneficiary of Teachers and Education Expert Breeding Higher Education Student Okuda and These Things Related to Social Assistance Law). Under this law, ministry teachers determine training higher education programs (1) in the first quota limit set for student winners of the five choices, (2) anatolian teacher high school graduates who won the first five choices are given thick without the scholarship depends on the quota limit. Grant amounts are determined each year by the Council of Ministers. Ministry of National Education has grant quota for some students to make teaching profession alluring and thus increasing the quality of education through encouraging competent students to choose teacher education institutions (The Law Regulating the Producures to Provide Grants and Boarding Facilities to the Students Studying at Teacher Training Institutions/Öğretmen ve Eğitim Uzmanı YetiştirenYükseköğretim Kurumlarında Parasız Yatılı veya Burslu Öğrenci Okutma ve Bunlara Yapılacak Sosyal Yardımlara İlişkin Kanun). According to this law, grant is provided to (1) students who prefer teacher education institutions determined by MoNE in their first five choices and achieve right to enter the institution according to predetermined grant quota limit and (2) students who graduated from Anatolian teaching high school and prefer teacher education institutions determined by MoNE in their first five choice and achieve right to enter the institution without scholarship quota limit. The Ministry of National Education wrote a list of the top 5 teacher training higher education institutions to choose the winners in the 2011-2012 academic year while 1,500 students were given scholarships. The first condition to take advantage of scholarship to win the first five preferences according to the announcement by the Ministry of National Education made in this year's Higher Education Programs and Quotas Guide, 2011-2012 academic as determined by the Ministry. Distribution of quotas to universities is made across higher education in line with the guides. Additionally, Anatolian Teacher High School graduates can benefit from the scholarship regardless of the quota rights within the specified quota.
Learning Credit
Learning credit is loan allocated for higher education students of all cycles, including undergraduates to doctoral students, provided in the regular duration of their educational program and aimed to support the living expenses of the higher education students, given by the Higher Education Institution of Credits and Hostels (TR: Yurt-Kur). Students obtain this loan as long as they follow their program with no limitation or drawback that deprives them from the loan, and those loans are offered only within the regular duration of the programs; year or semester extensions are not tolerated. Upon completion of the program, students are to pay their loans back to the state by the first month of the second year. Students who stop getting fee loan credits are to pay the amount they received during their program. Students who pass away or can prove a physical disability from a hospital are exempted from those loans.
During or after the training or education they passed away, unable to work full-fledged degree that they have become permanently disabled cleared the debts of those detected by the hospital's medical board on Bursary Students Sent Abroad within the Law 1416.
This system covers the students who are sent to universities in foreign counties in line with the Law on Students Sent to the Foreign Countries numbered 1416 and dated 08.04.1929. Provided that a diploma equivalence is recognized by the Council of Higher Education, graduate students are sent to the foreign counties for higher education studies within quotes determined by the initiative of the Ministry of National Education and Council of Higher Education. Official procedures are run by the General Directorate of Higher Education and Abroad Education in the Ministry of National Education.
This scholarship is a refundable one; that is, according to the Law concerned, upon completion of their graduate education in a foreign university, students are to work in a national university within compulsory service duration.
This Law states that the bursaries to be sent to the foreign countries for graduate education are to obtain a minimum score from ALES (a national examination for entrance to graduate programs). Of the total quota determined to be sent out of the county by three times compared, the ranking points starting with the highest scores will be invited to the oral examination candidates. It revealed a ranking point as a result of the arithmetic average of the other conditions to the oral exam score and the ranking results in candidates eligible to be sent abroad. For more information, see the website.
Scholars will be sent abroad under the Act, must first carry a minimum score requirement set out in the name of relevant sections will be taken from ALES, which has 40% with 20% score of the GPA of bachelors degree. The total quota determined to be sent abroad by three times compared to the ranking points the candidates made starting with the highest scores will be invited to an oral exam. It revealed a ranking point as a result of the arithmetic average of the other conditions to the oral exam score and the ranking results in candidates eligible to be sent abroad. For more information, please visit the link.
The amount paid to grantees, according to the country's local conditions Train poses the amendment. For current scholarship amounts, the link is provided.
Financial Support (Loans for Living Costs)
Student loan is the money that does not have an obligation of compulsory service and is granted during the normal education period of the higher education so as to provide support for the living expenses of the students from associate degree students to doctorate program students by Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution (Yüksek Öğrenim Kredi ve Yurtlar Kurumu-YURT-KUR). YURT-KUR takes Ministry of National Education (Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı-MEB), State Planning Organization (Devlet Planlama Teşkilatı-DPT), Predicency of the Higher Education Council (Yükseköğretim Kurulu-YÖK) and University Chancelleries’ opinions on distribution rate of credit as per education branches so as to determine the number of students to loan money. Considering the opinions, within the budgetary limits of the institution, determination of the distribution rate as per education branch and number of students to be granted credit for the first time are concluded by plenary committee upon Executive Board’s proposal. In accordance with the work schedule and finance plan, loans fund allocated for that year is compared with the number of students who applied to hold loans. If the loans to be granted to applied students are more than the allocated fund; determination of needs and fitness is evaluated according to the rudiments that are determined by Executive Board. This evaluation is for determining the requirement levels of the applicants.
Additionally, on the condition of continuation of study and provided that there is not an impediment to get loans the student can be granted loans as long as the normal education term for the education institution he/she continues.
YURT-KUR dormitories housing the students provide support in the amount of determined quantity for breakfast and dinner. Also, the price of food and the market price are discounted at a rate of at least 30% of the average .kitchen, warehouse, quality of materials and tools used and compliance with the hygiene requirements dieticians or are controlled by the country managers. Meals are provided a la carte or table d'hote.
Subsidized lunch is served for students in all state institutions of higher education. The source of this subsidy is covered by the tuition fee from students.
Other Supports
Students, who are not within the scope of any social security or assurance, are provided with health and psychological consulting service for free at the Student Health Canters.
Reduction is provided to students with their id cards in local public service vehicles, theatres, movies, museums and some other artistic activities.