Study in İstanbul

İstanbul is the largest city in Türkiye and the one with the most universities, so it offers the widest choice of programmes in the country. The city sits on both sides of the Bosphorus, with campuses on the European and the Asian side, and a student here is rarely more than a metro or ferry ride from a lecture hall.

It suits someone who wants a large city with everything in it: employers for internships, an airport with direct flights to most of the world, and a student population big enough that there is a community for almost any interest. It suits someone looking for quiet and low costs less well.

İstanbul is the most expensive province in this catalogue, and rent is what drives that. Prices vary sharply by district: living near a central campus costs considerably more than living further out and commuting.

The transport card matters more here than anywhere else on this list, because distances are long and most students use it every day.

Student life is spread across the city rather than concentrated in one quarter. Each large campus has its own surrounding area with cafés, bookshops and cheap food, and students tend to spend time near where they study rather than travelling across the city in the evening.

Traffic shapes the day more than anything else. Students who live on the same side of the Bosphorus as their campus get hours back every week compared with those who cross it twice a day.

Getting around is done by metro, tram, bus and ferry, all on the same travel card. The ferry lines are ordinary commuting, not sightseeing, and they are often the fastest way between the two sides.

The city's older quarters, its museums and its music venues are open through the academic year, and students pay reduced entry at most public museums. İstanbul is also the easiest departure point in the country for travelling elsewhere, by air, by bus or by train.