Işık University, Istanbul — Admissions, Programs and Tuition

Işık University is a private university in Istanbul with two properties that rarely appear together: an English-majority catalogue and a low tuition floor.

It offers 61 programs across four levels — associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral. 37 of them are taught in English and 24 in Turkish, so the English side is more than half the catalogue. At most Istanbul private universities the ratio runs the other way, and English study means being confined to a small slice of the list.

The weight of the catalogue is technical: twenty of those 61 programs are engineering. On the other side, the published list records no program in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or nursing. Annual tuition runs from $1,400 to $7,500. That comparatively low ceiling is a direct consequence of the absent health-science faculties. The range the university itself states for its catalogue is $1,400 to $2,700 — an average band, not a ceiling; the priced rows in the table on this page reach as high as $7,500.

Three numbers on this page make the whole argument: 37 English-taught programs, twenty engineering programs, and tuition that starts at $1,400 and does not exceed $7,500. For an engineering applicant who wants to study in Istanbul, in English, on a limited budget, that combination does not repeat often across our directory.

The most practical effect of the English majority is that it can remove a Turkish preparatory year from your plan — one less year of tuition and living costs, and one year earlier to graduation. Count that in your total cost of study, not just the annual fee.

The limitation, stated plainly: if your target field is in health, this university has nothing for you. And if the $1,400 figure is what caught your attention, the bottom of that range belongs to associate programs — so the first question is whether that level fits what you are trying to achieve.

The figure above is the university's own tuition — not our fee. Everything involved in getting you admitted here, from checking your documents to holding your acceptance letter, is done at no cost to you.

Bachelor's admission is assessed on your high-school record; Iran's national entrance exam plays no part. The 37 English-taught programs — the majority of the catalogue — require an English certificate or a pass in the university's own exam. The 24 Turkish-taught programs normally mean a Turkish preparatory year.

For master's and doctoral study, the previous degree and its transcripts are the basis of assessment, with some fields also asking for a statement of purpose and references. The specific conditions for an engineering specialisation — and whether that specialisation is taught in English or Turkish — we confirm with the university before a file is submitted.

Like the rest of our partner private universities, Işık runs rolling admission: no fixed, pre-announced application deadline is set, and programs close when their international capacity fills rather than on a set calendar date. The main intake is September (fall).

Because 37 of this catalogue's 61 programs are English-taught and tuition here runs lower than at many Istanbul competitors, demand for these programs is usually high and their capacity tends to fill sooner than the rest. The exact date a given program opens or closes cannot be guessed on this page; we check it in the free consultation and on the [tuition page](/en/pricing), which updates as soon as a program fills. The full month-by-month plan for reaching a September start is in our [application deadlines guide](/en/guides/deadlines).

A standard file holds high-school transcripts and diploma with official translations, a copy of a valid passport, a passport photo and, for the English-taught programs that make up most of this list, a language certificate. Postgraduate applications add the previous degree and its transcripts.

Preparing and checking these documents is part of the same free service. At a university with this language ratio, the most useful thing you can settle before applying is your English certificate; that single step does more for the speed of your file than anything else.

Istanbul is Turkey's largest city, a layered metropolis spread across two continents, and for many students the ferry crossing between Europe and Asia is part of the daily commute. It holds the country's largest concentration of universities, so student life turns up everywhere, from library cafes to cheap lunch spots in almost every district. Public transit is extensive — metro, tram, Marmaray rail under the Bosphorus, and city ferries all work with a single Istanbulkart — though rush-hour traffic tests everyone's patience. It is also Turkey's most expensive city, with rent taking the biggest share of a student budget, which is why shared flats and dormitories are common. Winters are mild and rainy, summers warm and humid.