Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University — Published Programs, Tuition and Admissions

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University is a private university in Istanbul, and the list we publish for it is short: 10 programs with confirmed fees. That is worth saying outright, because an honest page and a full-looking page are different things — we do not add guessed rows to this table, and if your field is not on it we ask the university about its status for the current year.

The structure of those 10 entries has two clear features. First, all three levels — bachelor's, master's and doctoral — are present, and there are no associate programs in the list; this is a degree catalogue rather than a short-course one. Second, 4 of the 10 entries are in engineering, so the weight of the list leans that way. In health, a single nursing entry is recorded, and medicine, dentistry and pharmacy are absent.

Most of the list is taught in Turkish: 8 Turkish-taught entries against 2 in English. Tuition on the published programs runs from $3,500 to $12,000 a year, and the figure the university registers for its degree programs is $3,500.

The case for this university is specific rather than general: it is for someone whose field is among those 10 entries and who wants to study in Istanbul at degree level — not on a short course — with a floor of $3,500. Having bachelor's, master's and doctoral study inside a ten-entry list also means continuing here after graduation is possible on paper.

Equally important is the other side of it: a short list means few alternatives. If the quota for your target program closes, there is no near substitute inside this catalogue, and we should keep one or two other universities from our partner list open in parallel from the beginning. We say that before you apply, not afterwards.

If your target field is one of the 4 engineering entries or the single nursing entry on this list, our [engineering programs guide](/en/blog/engineering-programs-turkey) and [nursing programs guide](/en/blog/nursing-programs-turkey) show how comparable options at other partner universities stack up.

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, and Iran's national entrance exam plays no part in it. The 2 English-taught entries require a language certificate or a pass in the university's own English exam; for the 8 Turkish-taught entries, a Turkish preparatory year is the usual route.

For master's and doctoral entry, the assessment is based on the previous degree and its transcripts, and the conditions differ by field. Because the published list is short, here more than anywhere we do one thing first: check with the university that the quota for your specific entry is open for the current year, and only then build the file.

For bachelor's study: high-school diploma and transcripts with official translations, a copy of a valid passport, a passport photo and, for English-taught programs, a language certificate. For master's and doctoral study: the previous degree and its transcripts, and for some fields a statement of purpose and references.

Preparing and checking these documents is part of the same free service. Because this catalogue is concentrated on degree-level study, the accuracy of the translation of your previous transcripts — course titles, credits and grades — carries more weight in the review than usual.

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.