Türkiye Bursları During the Scholarship

Life During the Scholarship

Once you've passed TÖMER and started your degree, the scholarship continues with specific obligations and opportunities. Here's what to expect during your academic years in Türkiye.

Academic Expectations

Grade maintenance

You must keep a minimum GPA (typically 2.0/4.0 for undergraduates and 2.5/4.0 for graduate students). Falling below it for two consecutive semesters can lead to probation or termination. YTB checks your grades every year.

Attendance requirements

Most Turkish universities enforce 70% minimum attendance per course, and some professors check every lecture. Missing more than 30% of classes in a course means automatic failure in that course, which affects your scholarship standing.

Maximum duration

You must finish your degree within the standard duration plus one year: 3 years in total for a 2-year master's, 5 years for a 4-year bachelor's. Extensions beyond this are rare and need special approval. YTB's "Scholarship Durations and Study Extension" procedure sets the exact rules.

Annual progress reports

YTB asks for yearly reports on your academic progress, language development and activities. They're usually simple forms, but missing them can trigger a scholarship review.

Housing After Year One

Undergraduates can keep their dorm place for the whole degree. Master's and PhD students have a dorm place in their first year only; after that YTB pays a monthly housing allowance of 6,000 TL in Istanbul and Ankara and 5,000 TL in other cities, so you can rent your own place. See the dormitory guide.

Part-Time Work Rules

Officially, TB scholars are discouraged from working, because the scholarship is designed to cover your needs. But with inflation, many scholars do find work.

Scholarship Renewal Conditions

Your scholarship renews automatically each year as long as you:

• Maintain the minimum GPA
• Meet attendance requirements
• Submit annual progress reports
• Have no disciplinary issues
• Keep a valid residence permit
• Progress within the standard timeframe

Rewards for Doing Well

Earlier versions of this guide called this the "Success Scholarship upgrade". In YTB's terms, the extra money comes from the Merit Scholarship, which pays double the regular stipend to applicants with a 90% average and strong test scores when they apply for a new degree. The Success Scholarship (Türkiye Başarı Bursu) is a separate one-year stipend for international students studying in Türkiye at their own expense, so it doesn't apply to current TB scholars. Beyond that:

• Continuing support — undergraduates who finish with high grades can apply again for a master's scholarship in a later application round.
• Research opportunities — high-performing PhD scholars may qualify for additional research grants.
• International Student Academy — YTB's seminar, specialisation, culture-and-art and online programmes, taught in Turkish and open to all international students, with certificates for those who complete them.

Scholarship Termination Causes

• Academic failure — GPA below the minimum for 2+ consecutive semesters.
• TÖMER failure — no C1 Turkish certificate by the end of the second year, or more than 100 unexcused lesson hours missed.
• Disciplinary action — serious university or legal violations.
• Exceeding time limits — not finishing within the standard duration plus one year.

Adjusting to Turkish Culture

Life on the scholarship is as much cultural as academic. Read the cultural adjustment guide.