Işık University

Key Highlights

• Established in 1996 by the Feyziye Schools Foundation
• Legally organized as a Turkish foundation university
• Operating in 2026–2027 with active undergraduate and graduate registration
• Two Istanbul campuses: coastal Şile and urban Maslak

Student Life & Environment

Student experience differs noticeably between the two campuses. Şile is the larger, residential setting, positioned on the Black Sea coast. The university describes on-campus undergraduate and associate-degree housing, dining and retail outlets, a library, health provision, student clubs, and indoor and outdoor recreation. Maslak offers a more urban environment and has its own food services and sports facilities, but the university’s international housing information identifies the dormitories as being at Şile. The university’s campus-life page reports more than 55 student clubs and a broad range of sports facilities, including football, tennis, basketball and volleyball areas and a fitness and sports centre. The 2025–2026 student handbook lists academic, professional, cultural and recreational organizations, including robotics, artificial intelligence, Model United Nations, music, theatre, volunteering and an International Students’ Club. Club availability and activity can change by year, so students should check the current orientation programme. For 2026–2027, applications for Şile dormitories were scheduled to begin near the end of summer, with instructions sent after university registration. Housing is limited to associate and undergraduate students, requires a separate refundable damage deposit, and must be paid before move-in. Graduate students and anyone studying principally in Maslak should plan for off-campus accommodation unless the university confirms another option.

Location & Surroundings

Işık University is based in Istanbul but does not have a single-city-centre campus. Şile Campus is at Meşrutiyet Mahallesi on the Asian side, beside the Black Sea. Its large coastal site offers a comparatively self-contained residential environment with academic buildings, dormitories, sports areas and daily services. Şile is geographically removed from central Istanbul, so applicants should examine current transport arrangements and journey times before choosing accommodation or employment away from campus. Maslak Campus is on Büyükdere Avenue in the Pınar neighbourhood, on Istanbul’s European side. Maslak is a dense business district, giving students a setting closer to corporate offices and the urban transport network. The vocational school is explicitly listed at this campus. The two locations offer materially different routines: Şile suits students seeking a residential campus, while Maslak places students in a major commercial area. They are also on opposite sides of metropolitan Istanbul. Prospective students should confirm the teaching location of every required course and avoid assuming that the campuses are interchangeable or quickly walkable from one another.

Costs & Career Outcomes

Costs vary by nationality, program, scholarship status and payment method. For domestic candidates, the official 2026–2027 fee table publishes program-level prices in Turkish lira and separate figures for bank transfer, credit-card payment and instalments. It also shows multiple scholarship or discount categories. Because the amount can differ substantially by degree and placement status, applicants should calculate their own net charge from the live table and written award terms rather than use a university-wide tuition estimate. The international tuition page is labelled for 2026–2027 but instructs undergraduate and associate applicants to contact International Admissions for the current fee. Its visible graduate fee table is marked for spring 2025–2026. Older international prices should therefore not be presented as current 2026–2027 tuition. International candidates should request a dated offer or invoice covering the exact program and intake. Şile housing is an additional cost. The 2026–2027 dormitory page publishes room-specific annual charges and requires a separate refundable TRY 3,600 damage deposit. Housing is available only to associate and undergraduate students, and the annual fee and deposit must be paid before move-in. Meal-inclusive choices cost more than accommodation alone. Career support includes appointment-based counselling and coaching, career planning, career days, employer or industry introductions, internship and job postings, résumé guidance, interview preparation, seminars and meetings between students and alumni. These services are useful infrastructure, but the university does not provide sufficiently current, independently verified salary or placement outcomes on the cited pages.