Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering at Sabanci University

Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering (BIO) is Sabanci University's four-year, English-taught bachelor's in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, combining molecular and cell biology, genetics and biochemistry with computational biology and an engineering dimension. The 2026/27 list fee for international undergraduates is $36,500 a year, but Sabanci offers merit tuition waivers of 25% to 75%, and its graduate programmes in the same field are fee-exempt for almost all admitted students.

This page is about Sabanci's own degree. The stand-alone Genetik ve Biyomühendislik programme at Okan costs $5,000 a year and is more industry- and engineering-oriented; it is compared on the Genetics and Bioengineering page.

Sabanci's first year is not biology-specific. Every student in the faculty takes university courses such as Calculus, Science of Nature and Humanity and Society, in line with the 'freedom to declare major' model the university advertises. Biology begins properly in the second year, with Discovering Life, Molecular Biology and Computational Biology.

A summer internship (BIO 395) is compulsory after the third year, and the degree ends with a two-part graduation project: design in the seventh semester, implementation in the eighth. The final year is mostly electives, which lets you lean towards genomics, plant biology, neurobiology or bioengineering.

The headline figure rarely matches what a family pays. Sabanci's undergraduate fee page lists $36,500 a year for 2026/27, and under "Non Scholarship" it also shows $24,500 a year for newly registering international students, payable in two instalments. On top of that, the university awards tuition waivers of 25%, 40%, 50%, 60% or 75% to strong applicants and some accommodation scholarships for three- or four-person dorm rooms.

Scholarship decisions depend on your exam results, extracurricular record and the scholarship quota, so apply with every certificate and olympiad result you have. At graduate level the picture changes: Sabanci says almost all students admitted to its academic master's and PhD programmes receive full exemption from the $36,500 annual fee, and many also receive a monthly stipend and a free dorm room.

Sabanci admits international undergraduates on international exam or diploma results, not on a school average alone. The application needs a valid score from its accepted list (for example SAT, ACT, IB or GCE A levels), your full secondary-school transcript and, optionally, a motivation letter, a recommendation letter and certificates; the online form carries a $30 fee.

• Timing: for 2026/27 the window opened on 1 January 2026, the early deadline was 14 March and the final deadline 28 August 2026. The 2027/28 dates were not yet on the page when we checked.
• English: a score accepted by the English prep school exempts you from the Foundation Development Year; otherwise you sit the university's English Language Assessment Exam at registration.
• SAT: scores must reach Sabanci through College Board under institution code 7100.
• Under 18 at enrolment: a notarised consent letter from both parents is required unless both attend registration.

Sabanci names four typical routes for BIO graduates: academic research and teaching; sales, product and management roles in pharmaceutical, medical and biotech companies; specialist work in hospital laboratories, genetic diagnosis and IVF centres; and R&D in companies and public institutes. Among employers it lists AstraZeneca in Sweden, the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ).

Most research careers pass through a master's or PhD. Because Sabanci's own graduate programmes in this field are close to fee-free for admitted students, continuing at Sabanci is a realistic plan for strong graduates.

Budget separately for the dormitory (charged for nine months and payable in advance or in two instalments), health insurance and the residence permit. The Foundation Development Year, if you need it, adds a year before the degree starts.

A personal strategy, requirement checks, selection of agreed options, document preparation, applications, and support are provided under an agreement with StudyU. For Sabanci we check your exam against the accepted list, plan the timing for the early deadline, and help you present the motivation letter and certificates that feed the scholarship decision. Sabanci decides admission and scholarships, the consulate decides the visa and the migration authority issues the residence permit.