Near East University
Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi
A large private campus university outside Nicosia, with 20 faculties, its own hospital and students from 143 countries.
- Students
- 16,203
- International
- 82%
- of students
- Founded
- 1988
- QS World Ranking
- 791-800
- 2027 edition
About NEU
Near East University (NEU; Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi) is a private university founded in 1988 by Suat Günsel. It sits on a single large campus off Near East Boulevard, a few kilometres from the centre of northern Nicosia (Lefkoşa), in the part of Cyprus administered by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). NEU says it has 20 faculties, 6 institutes, 5 colleges and 32 research centres, offering 196 undergraduate and 240 graduate and doctoral programmes. Its students come from 143 countries.
The university is strongly international. QS records about 16,200 students, around 13,300 of them international. Programmes are taught in English or Turkish, and a year-long English Preparatory School brings students up to about B1+ level if they don't yet meet the language requirement. Faculties range from Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine to Engineering, Law, Architecture, Communication and a Faculty of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics.
The campus is almost a small town. It includes the NEU Hospital, a Grand Library open 24/7, an Olympic indoor swimming pool, dormitories for about 5,500 students and a cluster of museums, including the Cyprus Car Museum. Admission for international students is based on school-leaving results rather than entrance exams, and applying is free. NEU suits students who want an English-taught degree, especially in health sciences or engineering, in a Mediterranean setting at a lower cost than much of Europe. The TRNC is recognised as a state only by Türkiye, so before choosing NEU, check how this affects travel, visas and the recognition of degrees in your home country.
Why students choose NEU
Several engineering programmes (Computer, Mechanical, Biomedical, Electrical and Electronic) hold ASIIN accreditation, and Business Administration, Economics, Banking and Finance, and International Relations are FIBAA-accredited.
Health students train on a campus with its own university hospital next to the Faculty of Medicine, alongside Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing and Veterinary Medicine faculties.
Applying is free and there are no entrance exams for international applicants: the NEU Admission Committee assesses your school-leaving results and sends a conditional offer by email.
Free shuttles run between campus and Nicosia from 06:45 to 22:15, with routes to Kyrenia, Famagusta and Güzelyurt, and the Grand Library is open 24/7.
Admissions
2027-28 entry (rolling international admissions)
Selectivity
NEU does not publish an acceptance rate. International applicants are assessed by the NEU Admission Committee on their secondary school qualifications; Turkish citizens are placed through Türkiye's ÖSYM central placement system.
Typical entry requirements
| National school-leaving exams | Accepted, e.g. Tawjihi (Jordan, Palestine), Baccalaureate (Lebanon, Iraq, Syria), WAEC/NECO (Nigeria), Higher Secondary Certificate (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh), Gaokao (China), Diploma Debirestan (Iran) |
|---|---|
| British and international curricula | GCSE/IGCSE results or International Baccalaureate results accepted |
| US-style | SAT or ACT results, or a high school diploma for applicants from other countries |
| Documents | Official translation required if documents are not in English or Turkish |
| English language | IELTS 5.5 · TOEFL iBT 66 Minimums for exemption from NEU's English proficiency exam in English-taught programmes (English Preparatory School exemption page, 2024 capture): IELTS 5.5, TOEFL iBT 66, PTE 50, Cambridge FCE/CAE 160, SAT Reading and Writing 350, ACT 22, or IGCSE English A-C. Graduates of secondary schools in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and residents of listed English-speaking African countries including Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya, are also exempt. Otherwise you join the English Preparatory School. |
Deadlines
NEU publishes no fixed undergraduate application deadline for international students; applications are handled on a rolling basis. In 2025-26, fall classes began on 22 September 2025, and the first fee payment was due by 8 September 2025. Apply early enough to get your acceptance letter, any visa and your residence permit sorted before term.
How to apply
Complete NEU's online application form, or email your academic documents to the Online Application Unit; applying is free. Accepted applicants receive a Conditional Acceptance Letter. The official Acceptance Letter, needed for travel and registration, is issued once you pay the first-semester instalment shown on the conditional letter and email the bank receipt. You then register in person at the International Student Office with original documents, and apply for a student residence permit online.
What admissions looks for
- A recognised secondary school-leaving qualification from the listed national or international systems.
- Proof of English or Turkish proficiency, depending on the language of your programme, or a pass in NEU's own proficiency exam.
- Complete documents, with official translations where needed, and original documents at registration.
Tips for applying to NEU
- 1 Check whether your programme is taught in English or Turkish before applying, since the language requirement and prep year depend on it.
- 2 Send an IELTS (5.5+), TOEFL iBT (66+) or similar certificate early to skip the English Preparatory School year.
- 3 Budget for the first-semester payment: NEU issues the official acceptance letter you need for travel only after it is paid.
- 4 Ask the nearest Turkish embassy or consulate whether you need a transit visa, because flights to Northern Cyprus route through Türkiye.
- 5 After registering, apply for your student residence permit through the government portal; NEU advises not travelling until the permit process is fully complete.
Costs & financial aid
2025-26 · figures in EUR
NEU offers merit-based scholarships to international students, valid for the normal length of the programme but not covering the Foundation or language preparatory year or the administration fee; scholarship holders must keep a GPA of at least 2.00 out of 4.00. Turkish citizens can win half and full scholarships through ÖSYM placement, and there are separate scholarships for TRNC citizens and athletes.
- 2.00 out of 4.00
- Scholarship GPA requirement
- Free
- Application fee
- From EUR 2,301 (4-person room) to about EUR 6,800-10,200 for a single room; EUR 264-616 deposit
- On-campus dorm, 2025-26 (yearly cash price)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (Fall and Spring) plus a Summer School; ECTS credits
Medicine
Taught next to NEU's own university hospital on the same campus.
Computer, Mechanical, Biomedical and Electrical-Electronic Engineering
Programmes accredited by the German agency ASIIN.
Business Administration, Economics, Banking and Finance, International Relations
Accredited by FIBAA.
Architecture
Recognised by Türkiye's MIAK and by the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON).
Dentistry
The Faculty of Dentistry lists Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation.
Pharmacy
NEU's Faculty of Pharmacy is a member of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
Research
- The Grand Library covers 15,000 square metres, is open 24/7 and holds more than 2.25 million printed books and 60,000 e-journals.
- NEU runs 32 research centres, including the DESAM Research Institute and an Experimental Animals Research Centre.
- NEU's rankings page reports THE 2026 subject bands of 176-200 in Physical Sciences and 251-300 in Engineering.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Pharmacy
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics
- Faculty of Architecture
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
- Faculty of Communication
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Atatürk Faculty of Education
Student life
NEU is a residential campus: 13 dormitory blocks (7 for women, 6 for men), plus apartment dormitories and residences, hold about 5,500 beds. The international mix shows in student clubs, which include Nigerian, Pakistani, Sudanese and Rwandan student associations, a Christian fellowship and subject societies. Sport is a big part of campus life, with 1,651 licensed athletes, an Olympic indoor pool, the RA25 sports hall and a Sports Tower gym. The Atatürk Culture and Congress Centre hosts concerts and the Cyprus Theatre Festival, and the campus museums are open to the public.
- The only Olympic indoor swimming pool in Northern Cyprus, according to NEU.
- Museums on or run from campus, including the Cyprus Car Museum and the Cyprus Museum of Modern Art.
- National student associations for many of the 143 nationalities on campus.
- Free campus shuttles to Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta and Güzelyurt.
Housing. On-campus dormitories, apartment dormitories and residences hold about 5,500 beds in single to four-person rooms; 2025-26 yearly prices ran from EUR 2,301 (4-person room) to about EUR 15,900 for the largest residence apartments.
Location
NEU's campus lies a few kilometres from the centre of Nicosia (Lefkoşa) in the northern third of Cyprus, which is administered by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The climate is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The currency is the Turkish lira, the official language is Turkish, and traffic drives on the left. The TRNC is recognised as a state only by Türkiye, and Ercan Airport has direct flights only to and from Türkiye, so most international students fly in via Türkiye. Crossing points in Nicosia link the north with the Republic of Cyprus and Larnaca airport, but the rules for using them depend on your nationality, so check before you plan a route.
Nearest airport: Ercan International Airport (ECN), about 13 km east of Nicosia; flights connect via Türkiye
Notable alumni
- ZÖ Ziya ÖztürklerSpeaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Northern Cyprus; BA in Turkish Language and Literature (1999), later a master's and doctorate at NEU
- DG Davut GülGovernor of Istanbul; graduate of the Department of International Relations
- GE Genco EcerTurkish Cypriot singer and former national basketball player and swimmer; studied architecture
- Aİ Aycan İrmezLawyer and member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for Şırnak; Faculty of Law graduate
- ÖF Ömer Faruk HülaküLawyer and member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for Bingöl (elected 2023); Faculty of Law graduate (2010)
- ŞC Şevin CoşkunBusinesswoman and member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for Muş; Faculty of Communication graduate
Frequently asked questions
Where is Near East University?
On a campus off Near East Boulevard, a few kilometres from central Nicosia (Lefkoşa), in the northern part of Cyprus administered by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Its postal address uses 'Mersin 10, Turkey'.
Is Northern Cyprus internationally recognised, and does that affect students?
The TRNC is recognised as a state only by Türkiye. This affects travel: Ercan Airport has direct flights only to and from Türkiye, some nationalities need a Turkish transit visa, and international students need a TRNC student residence permit. Check how your home country treats degrees from Northern Cyprus before enrolling.
Does Near East University have an application fee or entrance exam?
No. Applying online is free, and international undergraduates are assessed on their school-leaving qualifications. You may need to take NEU's English proficiency exam unless you meet an exemption such as IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 66.
How much is accommodation at Near East University?
For 2025-26, on-campus dormitory places cost from EUR 2,301 a year for a four-person room to about EUR 6,800-10,200 for a single room, plus a EUR 264 deposit (EUR 616 in some blocks).
Does Near East University offer scholarships to international students?
Yes. Merit-based scholarships are available to international students for the normal length of the programme. They don't cover the preparatory year or administration fee, and you must keep a GPA of 2.00 or higher.
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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