Marmara University
Marmara Üniversitesi
A large Istanbul public university teaching in five languages, admitting foreign degree students through TR-YOS placement.
- Students
- 67,005
- 55,931 undergraduates
- Student–faculty
- 20:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- TRY 48,228
- From · 2025-26 rates shown in the 2026 intake table (2026-27 update pending)
- Founded
- 1883
About Marmara
Marmara University is a public university in Istanbul, Turkey. It traces its roots to 16 January 1883, when it opened as the Hamidiye Ticaret Mekteb-i Alisi (a school of commerce), and it took the name Marmara University in 1982 after a national reorganisation of higher education. The university describes itself as one of the oldest educational institutions in Turkey.
Today it operates on eight campuses in Istanbul, with Göztepe on the Asian side as its administrative base. Its statistics site reports 67,005 students (6,667 associate, 49,264 bachelor's, 11,074 postgraduate), 3,336 academic staff, and 314 bachelor's and 665 postgraduate programmes. Faculties range from Medicine, Dentistry, Law and Theology to Economics, Engineering, Fine Arts and Communication.
Its distinctive claim is language: the university says teaching runs in five languages (Turkish, English, French, German and Arabic), with English-, German- and French-taught degrees in areas such as Medicine, Dentistry, Economics, Business Administration and Translation and Interpreting.
For international applicants the route is not a general application file. Marmara admits degree students from abroad through its own foreign-student placement, which ranks applicants on the national TR-YOS exam score. It suits students who want a large Istanbul public university and are comfortable studying in Turkish or preparing for another language of instruction.
Why students choose Marmara
Degrees are taught in Turkish, English, French, German or Arabic depending on the programme, for example Medicine and Dentistry in English and Business Administration in English or German.
Foreign applicants are placed through the university's own TR-YOS-based system with published programme quotas, base scores and semester fees, so the requirements are visible before applying.
The university reports more than 700 Erasmus+ agreements with over 300 universities and KA171 credit-mobility partnerships with 88 institutions in 42 countries.
More than 200 student clubs, dormitories at the Mehmet Genç complex and meal scholarships for over 2,000 students support daily student life.
Admissions
2026-27 intake for international degree students (2027-28 dates not yet published)
Selectivity
Marmara publishes no acceptance rate. Turkish citizens are placed nationally through the OSYM YKS exam. International degree applicants are ranked on their TR-YOS score against a per-programme quota (for example 8 places in Law, 5 in English-taught Medicine and 4 in English-taught Dentistry in 2026), with a minimum base score of 300 for associate degrees, 400 for most bachelor's programmes and 450 for Medicine, Dentistry, Electrical and Electronics Engineering and the Technology Faculty engineering programmes.
Typical entry requirements
| TR-YOS score (2026 cycle) | Minimum 300 to apply; programme base scores of 300 (associate), 400 (most bachelor's) and 450 (Medicine, Dentistry, Engineering) |
|---|---|
| Secondary-school leaving certificate | Final-year student or graduate; documents are uploaded to the application system at basvuru.marmara.edu.tr |
| Country cap | Admitted students of one nationality cannot exceed 20% of a faculty's foreign quota, so applicants choose a single nationality |
| English language | For programmes taught fully or partly in a foreign language, admitted students show a language-proficiency certificate accepted by the Turkish inter-university board at registration, or sit the university's own proficiency exam and otherwise attend a one-year language preparatory class. For programmes taught partly or wholly in Turkish, students need Turkish at B2 level, shown through the Marmara TOMER placement exam. The guide gives no specific IELTS or TOEFL scores. |
Deadlines
- Application and programme choices (2026 cycle) Non-binding Passed20 May 2026 to 5 June 2026 (16:00)
Previous cycle; 2027 dates not yet published.
- Placement results (2026 cycle) Passed19 June 2026 (16:00)
Special talent exams for the Faculty of Sports Science programmes were held on 15 June 2026.
- Registration (2026 cycle) Passed20 July 2026 to 24 July 2026 (16:00)
A supplementary placement round with choices from 29 to 31 July, results on 10 August and registration from 31 August to 4 September 2026 followed.
The dates above are the 2026-27 cycle, published in the university's application calendar. Marmara has not yet published 2027-28 dates; check muyos.marmara.edu.tr, which posts each year's guide and calendar.
How to apply
Register on the university's foreign-student system at basvuru.marmara.edu.tr with the passport or ID number used for TR-YOS, import the TR-YOS result from OSYM, upload the required documents and choose up to four programmes. Placement is then announced only on the application system, which also issues the placement letter (there is no separate acceptance letter).
What admissions looks for
- A valid TR-YOS score at or above the programme's base score, since placement is by score and quota.
- A secondary school diploma completed outside Turkey and northern Cyprus, with the documents required for your citizenship group.
- For the sports programmes (Sports Coaching, Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Sports Management), a pass mark of at least 50 in the university's special talent exam plus TR-YOS 300.
- Language readiness: Turkish at B2 for Turkish-taught programmes, or an accepted certificate for English, French, German or Arabic programmes.
Tips for applying to Marmara
- 1 Read the 2026 guide and the programme quota table on muyos.marmara.edu.tr first: they show every programme's places, base score and semester fee.
- 2 Choose only one nationality when applying; applications naming more than one country can be cancelled even after placement.
- 3 Register for the OSYM TR-YOS exam separately; the 2026 guide does not accept SAT, ACT or IB results for this placement.
- 4 Budget for a language preparatory year if needed: preparatory time does not count toward the degree, and students who cannot pass within two years lose their place.
- 5 Check the fee column before ranking programmes, since semester fees in the 2026 table range from TRY 23,780 to TRY 177,715.
Costs & financial aid
2025-26 rates shown in the 2026 intake table (2026-27 update pending) · figures in TRY
Marmara does not publish a scholarship scheme for self-funded international degree students on the pages checked. The university says it gives meal scholarships to more than 2,000 students and offers part-time work in its units, and that foundations and associations offer further scholarships. Türkiye Scholarships (Türkiye Bursları) registrations are handled by its Student Affairs department.
- More than 2,000 students
- Meal scholarships
- Set by Presidential decision; no figure stated on the pages checked
- Home-student tuition
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters a year (fall and spring)
Medicine (English)
Six-year English-taught degree; 5 places in the 2026 foreign-student quota with a TR-YOS base score of 450.
Dentistry (English)
Five-year English-taught degree; 4 places for foreign students in 2026 with a base score of 450.
Law
Four-year Turkish-taught degree with 8 foreign-student places in 2026 and a base score of 400.
Economics (English)
English-taught option alongside Turkish-taught Economics, Econometrics and Public Finance in the Faculty of Economics.
Business Administration (English or German)
Turkish, English and German-taught routes, with 3 places each in English and German for foreign students in 2026.
Translation and Interpreting (English, French or German)
Language-specific degrees within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, reflecting Marmara's multilingual teaching.
Research
- The university lists dozens of research and application centres, including Nanotechnology and Biomaterials, Genetic and Metabolic Diseases, Digital Humanities, and the Marmara Center for Regional Development.
- Marmara operates a University Hospital that supports clinical training and research.
Schools & faculties
- Atatürk Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Communication
- Faculty of Economics
- Faculty of Business Administration
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Theology
- Faculty of Fine Arts
Student life
Marmara spreads across eight Istanbul campuses, so daily life depends heavily on which faculty you join: Göztepe hosts Science, Law, Communication and Humanities and Social Sciences, while the Maltepe campus hosts Education, Economics, Business, Engineering, Political Sciences and Technology, and the health faculties sit on a separate health campus. The university says more than 200 student clubs are active and that it gives meal scholarships to over 2,000 students. Its own dormitories, one for women and one for men, are in the Mehmet Genç complex at Dragos. The university says its campuses are equipped with classrooms, libraries, laboratories, dining halls and sports areas.
- More than 200 student clubs operate across social, cultural, artistic and sports areas.
- Meal scholarships are given to more than 2,000 students.
- Two dormitories, one for women and one for men, are in the Mehmet Genç complex at the Dragos campus.
- A Career Development Center, an Alumni Office and a Disabled Student Unit are listed among the support offices.
- Erasmus+ figures on the statistics page: 932 incoming and 1,344 outgoing students.
Housing. The university has one women's and one men's dormitory in the Mehmet Genç complex; its website does not state an accommodation guarantee for international students.
Location
Marmara's administrative base at Göztepe is in Kadıköy, a district on the Asian side of Istanbul. The university's other campuses are spread across the city, from Anadoluhisarı and Bağlarbaşı to Kartal, Maltepe and Dragos, so applicants should check which campus their programme uses before choosing where to live. The university holds Erasmus+ agreements with more than 300 universities, and its own site describes Istanbul as offering wide social and cultural opportunities. The city's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is on the Asian side.
Nearest airport: Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW)
Notable alumni
- KS Kemal SunalTurkish actor and comedian; earned a bachelor's degree in Radio, Television and Cinema (1995) and a master's (1998) at Marmara
- HM Hussein MwinyiPresident of Zanzibar since 2020; medical doctor (MD) from Marmara University
- OG Ozlem Goker-AlpanPhysician-scientist who works on lysosomal storage and rare genetic diseases; medical degree from Marmara
- EC Ebru CeylanPhotographer, actress and screenwriter; studied film and television at Marmara
- NB Nihal Bengisu KaracaJournalist and author; graduated from Marmara University School of Law
- SÖ Setenay ÖzbekArtist, writer and documentary filmmaker; graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in 1990
- ZT Zeynep Tuğçe BayatActress known for Kuruluş: Osman; graduated in law from Marmara
- CA Can AyvazoğluVolleyball player who played for Galatasaray and the national team; studied at Marmara
Frequently asked questions
How do international students apply to Marmara University?
Through the university's own foreign-student placement at basvuru.marmara.edu.tr, using an OSYM TR-YOS score. In the 2026 cycle applicants could choose up to four programmes.
What is the minimum TR-YOS score for Marmara?
300 is the minimum to apply, and the 2026 quota table lists base scores of 300 for associate degrees, 400 for most bachelor's programmes and 450 for Medicine, Dentistry and several engineering programmes.
Does Marmara accept SAT, ACT or IB scores?
Not for the 2026 foreign-student placement: the guide says only the listed TR-YOS results are accepted and other national or international diplomas and scores are not.
How much does Marmara cost for international students?
The 2026 quota table lists bachelor's semester fees from TRY 24,114 to TRY 177,715 (TRY 48,228 to TRY 355,430 a year), at 2025-26 rates awaiting an update.
What is the application deadline for Marmara?
The 2026 application window ran from 20 May to 5 June 2026. Dates for the next cycle have not been published yet.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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