Every year, students from around the world arrive in Türkiye on a Türkiye Bursları (Türkiye Scholarships) award, and for most of them the first year isn’t spent in their faculty. It’s spent in a classroom at a university Turkish teaching centre (TÖMER), learning Turkish from scratch to C1. It’s one of the most intensive language programmes you can take, and it determines whether you keep your scholarship.
This guide explains how the preparatory year works according to the official Türkiye Scholarships website, checked on 14 October 2026, and how to arrive ready for it. Rules can change, so always confirm with your TÖMER and the official site.
The rules at a glance
| Rule | What the official site says |
|---|---|
| Who must attend | All scholarship holders without a C1 Turkish certificate, whatever the language of their degree programme |
| Duration | One year, free of charge |
| Where | Turkish teaching centres (TÖMER) at universities |
| Hours | 960 hours of Turkish + 140 hours of academic Turkish (both mandatory) |
| Goal | A C1-level Turkish proficiency certificate |
| Exemption | A C1 certificate from the Yunus Emre Institute or a university Turkish teaching centre |
| Absence | Over 20 hours in a month: stipend cut by 25%. Over 100 unexcused hours in total: scholarship cancelled |
| Failure | Scholarship frozen until you submit a certificate. No certificate by the end of the second year: scholarship cancelled |
Who has to take the preparatory year?
The answer is almost everyone. The official “Application in 5 Steps” page says that all awardees who don’t have a C1 certificate, including those placed in English or other foreign-language programmes, must attend the one-year Turkish course and reach C1 by the end of the academic year.
There’s one exception, at the Directorate’s discretion. Students placed in foreign-language programmes may be allowed to start their department directly, provided they submit the required Turkish certificate before completing their studies. Don’t count on it; plan for the full year.
Exemption: arriving with C1
If you already hold a C1 Turkish certificate from the Yunus Emre Institute or from a Turkish university’s Turkish teaching centre, you’re exempt from the preparatory year. The Yunus Emre Institute’s exam, the TYS, is held three times a year in Ankara and at centres abroad. See our TYS exam guide.
Realistically, few applicants reach C1 before arriving. But every level you reach before you arrive makes the year easier.
What the year looks like
The 960 + 140 hours add up to 1,100 hours. Spread over an academic year of 36–40 teaching weeks, that’s roughly 27–30 hours of class a week, plus homework (our calculation; your TÖMER sets the actual timetable). A typical progression:
- First months: alphabet, vowel harmony, present and past tenses, basic cases. The pace is much faster than typical part-time study.
- Middle of the year: the noun case system in depth, future, aorist, conditionals, possessive compounds, and more reading and writing.
- Final months: participles and relative clauses, noun clauses, academic Turkish (lecture listening, note-taking, essays), and preparation for the C1 exam.
The separate 140 hours of academic Turkish are there because general Turkish isn’t enough for a degree: you’ll need to follow lectures, read textbooks, take notes and write exams and assignments in Turkish, often in a technical field.
TÖMER classes often mix students from many countries, so Turkish quickly becomes the shared language among students. That’s a huge advantage. Use it.
Attendance: the rule that costs students money
The official FAQ is explicit:
- More than 20 hours of absence in a month: your stipend is reduced by 25%.
- More than 100 class hours of unexcused absence in total: your scholarship is cancelled.
Treat the preparatory year like a full-time job. If you’re ill, get official documentation so the absence counts as excused.
If you don’t reach C1
According to the FAQ, if you fail the one-year programme, your scholarship is frozen until you submit a language certificate and show you’ve started your academic programme. If you still can’t get the certificate by the end of the second year, the scholarship is cancelled.
In other words, you get a second chance, but without your stipend. Arriving with some Turkish already is the best insurance.
What the scholarship covers (as listed in October 2026)
The official “Why Türkiye Scholarships?” page lists:
- Tuition fees at the university you’re placed in.
- Monthly stipend: 6,500 TL for associate and bachelor’s students, 9,500 TL for master’s, and 13,000 TL for PhD students. Students in the Merit Scholarship programme receive twice the regular amount.
- Accommodation: dormitory fees covered for undergraduates for the whole programme. Graduate students get a dormitory place in their first year, then a housing allowance (6,000 TL in Istanbul and Ankara, 5,000 TL elsewhere).
- General health insurance (GSS).
- A one-time flight ticket to Türkiye at the start and home after graduation.
- The one-year Turkish course.
Amounts are those published on the official site on 14 October 2026. Stipends are revised from time to time, so check the current figures.
Application basics
- General application period: 10 January – 20 February each year, online and free of charge. Interviews run from April to June, results are announced in early August, and students arrive in September.
- Age limits: under 21 for associate and bachelor’s programmes, under 30 for master’s, under 35 for PhD, and under 50 for the research scholarship.
- Minimum grades: 70% for associate and bachelor’s applicants, 75% for graduate applicants, and 90% for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.
Turkish words you’ll need in your first week
You’ll hear these at TÖMER and in the dormitory from day one:
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| hazırlık sınıfı | preparatory class |
| kur | course level / module |
| devamsızlık | absence |
| yoklama | roll call, attendance check |
| ara sınav / final sınavı | midterm / final exam |
| yeterlik belgesi | proficiency certificate |
| burs / bursiyer | scholarship / scholarship holder |
| yurt | dormitory |
| ikamet izni | residence permit |
| öğrenci belgesi | student certificate (proof of enrolment) |
| danışman | adviser |
| Anlamadım, tekrar eder misiniz? | I didn’t understand, could you repeat? |
| Bugün derse gelemeyeceğim. | I won’t be able to come to class today. |
| Rapor aldım. | I’ve got a doctor’s note. |
The last two matter more than they look: if you’re ill, tell your teacher and get a medical report (rapor) so the absence counts as excused.
Questions to ask your TÖMER early
Each university runs its own centre, so the details vary. In your first weeks, find out:
- How is the year divided into levels (kur), and what happens if you fail one?
- Which exam gives you the final C1 certificate, and when is it held?
- How is attendance recorded, and how do you submit a medical report?
- Is there extra support, such as tutoring, conversation clubs or excursions?
How to prepare before you arrive
If you’re applying, you have roughly six months between the application deadline and arrival. That’s enough to reach A1–A2 on your own, and it makes a big difference to how your first semester goes.
- Learn to read and pronounce Turkish properly. Use the alphabet tool until ı, ö, ü and ğ feel natural.
- Get vowel harmony and the present tense automatic, so TÖMER’s fast first weeks feel like revision.
- Learn 500+ core words. Start with our A1, A2 and B1 word lists.
- Learn survival language for arrival: dormitory, residence permit, bank and pharmacy vocabulary.
- Train your listening with learner podcasts for 20 minutes a day.
Next steps
Find out where you’re starting from with the Turkish level test, then follow our self-study roadmap from A1 to B2 for the months before you fly.
