Turkish Language and Literature

Turkish Language and Literature (Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı) is a four-year, Turkish-taught bachelor's covering the history and structure of Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, and literature from early Turkic texts to the modern novel. For 2026/27, Yeni Yüzyıl lists it at $5,000 a year and İstinye at $8,000; Gelişim's latest list (2025/26) shows $3,500 and Haliç publishes $4,700 without a year label. You need a strong command of Turkish from the first semester.

This is a philology degree, not a language course. You read and analyse texts in several historical forms of Turkish, including Ottoman Turkish written in Arabic script, and you study grammar, dialects and literary theory. Speakers of other Turkic languages, such as Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Uzbek, Kazakh or Kyrgyz, often find the historical and comparative courses a natural fit.

International graduates most often use the degree to teach Turkish, to work in publishing, editing and translation, or to continue to a master's and an academic career in Turkology.

Ottoman Turkish is usually the hardest part for newcomers. If you already read Arabic or Persian script, you start with an advantage; otherwise plan extra practice in the first year.

• a completed secondary-school certificate and transcript meeting the university's minimum grade;
• an advanced Turkish certificate or a pass in the university's Turkish exam; Haliç, for example, asks for TÖMER C1 for Turkish-taught programmes;
• a Turkish preparatory year if your level is lower: Gelişim's 2025/26 list charges $1,750 and Üsküdar's 2026/27 table lists its one-year TÖMER Turkish course (A1 to B2) at $1,500 per term;
• a passport and translated documents, and after admission the equivalence certificate (denklik) for your school diploma.

Because every course is about Turkish texts, a preparatory year that only reaches the minimum level is rarely enough. Many successful international students arrive with C1-level Turkish and keep reading Turkish literature on their own.

1. A year or more before. Take Turkish to an advanced level; read modern Turkish novels and newspapers to build vocabulary.
2. Six months before. Sit a TÖMER or Yunus Emre Institute exam, gather school documents and shortlist universities.
3. Application. Apply online; the university checks your Turkish evidence and decides admission.
4. After acceptance. Pay the deposit shown in the letter and apply for a student visa; the consulate decides.
5. On arrival. Register, obtain denklik and apply for the residence permit, which the migration authority decides.

• Ottoman Turkish teaching. Number of semesters and whether palaeography and archive reading are included.
• Staff specialisms. Old Turkish, folk literature, modern literature and linguistics should all be represented.
• Teaching-Turkish electives. Useful if you plan to teach Turkish as a foreign language.
• Library and archives. Access to manuscript collections and digital archives matters for a thesis.
• Graduate route. Haliç, Gelişim and İstinye list master's programmes in Turkish Language and Literature.

A common mistake is to treat the degree as a way to learn Turkish. It assumes you already speak it well and asks you to analyse it.

Sources: İstanbul Gelişim University, İstanbul Gelişim University (graduate fees), Haliç University, İstanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University, İstinye University, Üsküdar University. Yeni Yüzyıl's 2026/27 list shows a 50% scholarship column ($2,500); İstinye lists a quota of 10 international places for the bachelor's.

Books, housing, insurance and the residence permit are extra.

Graduates teach Turkish as a foreign language at language centres, cultural institutes and universities abroad; work as editors, proofreaders and copywriters in publishing and media; translate between Turkish and their home language; and work in archives, libraries and cultural organisations. A master's and PhD lead to research and university teaching in Turkology.

Teaching in schools usually needs a teaching qualification on top of the degree, and permanent posts in Turkish state schools are civil-service jobs for Turkish citizens. A work permit, applied for by the employer, is needed for any job in Turkey after graduation.