English taught or Turkish taught
How to choose, and what a preparatory language year involves.
- Type
- Explainer
- Reading time
- 6 min
- Published
- 8 February 2026
- Author
- Campus Turkey admissions team
The choice in one line
If you want to start your degree immediately, choose an English taught program. If you want the lowest possible tuition and you can spend a year on language first, Turkish taught is cheaper and opens more programs.
English taught
Hundreds of programs are fully in English, mostly at private universities and at the larger public ones. You need IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 78, or you sit the university's own exam.
Turkish taught
Tuition is often half the English taught figure and the program list is far longer. You will need a C1 certificate from a TÖMER language centre.
The preparatory year
One academic year of intensive Turkish, 20 to 25 hours per week, costing $800 to $1,500. You keep your student residence permit throughout and start your degree the following autumn.
Our advice
Decide by your budget and your timeline, not by which sounds easier. We model both options with real numbers before you apply.