If you've been reading our scholarship series and thinking "this is great, but I'm still doing my bachelor's" — this is the one for you. Every other guide on this site so far, Chevening and Commonwealth, only funds postgraduate study. Türkiye Bursları is different: it's one of the very few fully funded international scholarships that covers undergraduate degrees too, alongside master's and PhD.

It's also, honestly, one of the least stressful applications on this list. One portal, no application fee, no mandatory IELTS if you pick the right program, and the scholarship even finds you a university placement — you don't apply to universities separately like you do for Chevening or Commonwealth.

What Is Türkiye Bursları?

Türkiye Bursları (Türkiye Scholarships) is the Turkish government's flagship international scholarship program, run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). It funds associate degrees, bachelor's, master's, and PhD study at Turkish universities, and it's genuinely large in scale — Turkey now hosts hundreds of thousands of international students, with this scholarship as one of the biggest single pipelines.

What It Covers

• Full tuition fee exemption
• A monthly stipend — roughly 4,500 TL for bachelor's, 6,500 TL for master's, and 9,000 TL for PhD (amounts are reviewed periodically)
• Free on-campus or university-arranged accommodation
• Health insurance
• Return economy flight ticket to Turkey
• A one-year Turkish language course for scholars placed in Turkish-medium programs

Türkiye Bursları 2027 — Key Dates

The portal follows the same single global window every year, so this one's predictable — just not open yet.

Exact 2027 dates are published a few weeks before the portal opens — always check turkiyeburslari.gov.tr directly rather than relying on last year's dates.

Who Can Apply? (Eligibility Checklist)

• You're not a Turkish citizen
• Bachelor's applicants: under 21, have completed or will complete secondary school before the intake
• Master's applicants: under 30, hold or are completing a bachelor's degree
• PhD applicants: under 35, hold or are completing a master's degree
• You meet the minimum academic average for your target field (roughly 70% for bachelor's; higher thresholds for competitive fields like medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy — around 90%)
• If your country uses a central entrance exam (SAT, A-Levels, etc.), your score meets the published threshold for your country

Where to Apply

Unlike Chevening or Commonwealth, there's no separate nominating body and no separate university applications — everything happens on one government platform.

How to Apply — Full Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Documents You'll Need

• Valid national ID or passport
• Academic transcripts and diploma (or proof of expected graduation)
• Central exam score report, if your country uses one (SAT, A-Levels, GCE, HSC, etc.)
• Recent passport-style photo (ICAO standard)
• Language certificate — only if your chosen program requires it
• Master's/PhD applicants: 1–2 reference letters from academic supervisors
• PhD applicants: a 1,500–3,000 word research proposal tied to your preferred field or supervisor

Common Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected

• Waiting until the final days of the five-week window, when the portal slows down
• Listing 12 preferences without actually researching any of them
• Missing the country-specific exam score threshold for your target field
• PhD applicants submitting a vague research proposal with no connection to a real supervisor or research group
• Falling for unofficial "agents" who charge a fee to apply on your behalf

Should You Apply?

If you're still finishing secondary school or your bachelor's degree, this is genuinely one of the few fully funded options open to you at that stage — most of the scholarships in this series only start at master's level. Combined with no application fee and no mandatory English test for many programs, it's worth the five weeks of preparation even if Turkey wasn't originally on your radar as a study destination.