What are the best three cities for international students in Turkey?
Turkey is becoming one of the best international students’ destinations, with more than 200,000 international students studying in 207 universities in different 81 states in turkey and enjoying the affordable university fees, modern high education standards, accredited universities around the world in addition to Modern facilities and campuses.
When choosing a city to continue studying abroad, it is a little confusing due to many choices’ country-wise and city-wise. We want to help you in selecting the city in this blog. From the point of safety, mobility, high ranking universities, high standard of living conditions, international student-friendly and many other significant elements, the below three cities are the three destinations for international students.
Istanbul
Awaking museum all over the city, that’s how we can describe Istanbul shortly, you can smell the history in every corner of the city which inhabited since the copper age 5500 BCE. a city which witnesses the rise and fall of many empires like Constantinople, the Byzantine, and the Othman empire.
Istanbul had the eleventh-largest economy among the world’s urban areas in 2018 and is responsible for 30 percent of Turkey’s industrial output, 31 percent of Turkey’s GDP, and 47 percent tax revenues. ((as per wikipedia.org)). 13.4 M tourist visit the city in 2018 who enjoy the historical places in addition to Turkish cosine and life of Istanbul.
Istanbul attracts more international business with a very modern infrastructure and diverse international communities to create business hup. Many students have part-time jobs either in Trade, Sales or as a tourist. Istanbul became the first destination for international students in Turkey.
Some call it the magical city which suits everybody, rich and poor, business people and students, tourists and traders. The city bridges Europe and Asia and consider to be the economic capital of Turkey.
Istanbul has a Mediterranean climate with moderately dry summers; Spring and fall are usually mild, influenced by the Marmara Sea, relatively a cold rainy winter with a chance of having snow for a couple of days. the average of temperatures as below:
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.5 | 8.7 | 10.9 | 15.5 | 20.1 | 25 | 26.9 | 27.2 | 23.8 | 19.2 | 14.2 | 10.4 |
| -47.3 | -48 | -52 | -60 | -68 | -77 | -80 | -81 | -75 | -67 | -58 | -51 |
Statistical Information about Istanbul universities and number of students as per 2020 and 2021 education year.
- Istanbul’s population is around 16 million people.
- Istanbul is number one in number of Universities, Local students, and international students.
- Istanbul has 59 Universities, around 29% of comprehensive universities in Turkey.
- 1.29 M students 16% of students in Turkey are studying in Istanbul.
- 56,082 International students, 30.3% of international students study in Istanbul.
- The average Cost of living in Istanbul is 500 to 700 USD.
- The most expensive program is medicine for around 28000 USD yearly fees.
- The low-price programs are mainly in government (State Universities) for a 100 USD
Ankara
A relaxing city, that’s how we can describe Ankara shortly, you can walk downtown, go to shopping malls, play soccer, have a Turkish bath, or spend time at the parks around the city safely without the bothering of the traffic jam in another city. The city of Ankara inhabited since the Bronze Age around 2000 BCE. Ankara witnesses many empires like Alexander the Great, Galatians, Roman Empire, the Byzantine, Seljuk, and the Othman empire, which makes the city very rich of a mixture of all those empires
Ankara has the highest ratio in turkey for higher education and one of the youngest populations in Turkey.
With a very modern and well-planned infrastructure and a properly planned city expansion, Ankara is the home for the most extensive University campus of METU in Europe Istanbul and the home of many big and high-rank universities like Hacettepe, Ankara, Bilkent, Gazi And many others. High ranking and big campus and a very well-organized city attract more international students and became the 2nd destination for international students in Turkey.
Ankara has a cold semi-arid climate with cold and snowy winters, hot and dry summers and rainy Spring and autumn influenced by the continental climate; the average of temperatures is below.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average °C (°F) |
−2.2 | −1.2 | 1.9 | 6 | 10.5 | 14.1 | 17.2 | 17.4 | 13.1 | 8.4 | 2.7 | −0.3 |
| -28 | -29.8 | -35.4 | -43 | -51 | -57 | -63 | -63.3 | -55.6 | -47 | -36.9 | -31.5 | |
| Record low °C (°F) | −24.9 | −24.2 | −19.2 | −7.2 | −1.6 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.5 | −1.5 | −9.8 | −17.5 | −24.2 |
| (−12.8) | (−11.6) | (−2.6) | -19 | -29 | -39 | -40.1 | -41.9 | -29.3 | -14 | -0.5 | (−11.6) | |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.6 | 21.3 | 27.8 | 31.6 | 34.4 | 37 | 41 | 40.4 | 39.1 | 33.3 | 24.7 | 20.4 |
| -61.9 | -70.3 | -82 | -89 | -94 | -99 | -106 | -105 | -102 | -92 | -76.5 | -68.7 |
Statistical Information about Ankara universities and number of students as per 2020 and 2021 education year.
- Ankara is the capital of Turkey, with a population of around 5.663 million people.
- Ankara is number two in a number of universities and international students.
- Ankara has 21 Universities, around 10 % of total universities in Turkey.
- 317,689 students 4% of students in Turkey are studying in Ankara.
- 12,547 International students 6.8% of international students study in Ankara.
- The average Cost of living in Ankara is 450 to 650 USD.
- The most expensive program is medicine for around 20000 USD yearly fees.
- The low-price programs are mainly in government (State Universities) for a 100 USD
Izmir
They found their city (Izmir) under the most beautiful sky and in the most beautiful climates known on earth; that’s how “Herodotus “describes Izmir shortly. Some others call Izmir an open museum or the Pearl of the Aegean, the city of Izmir inhabited by Indigenous peoples between the 7th and 3rd millennium BC. Izmir witnessed many empires like Alexander the Great , Lydian rule, Roman Empire, the Medieval period, and the Othman empire, making the city very rich in a mixture of all those empires and having this magical diversity culture.
With a good infrastructure, Izmir considers the main port of Turkey, which makes İzmir’s contribution to the country’s exports is 13.0%. Izmir is one of Turkey’s biggest vegetables and fruit producers, with around 25% of Izmir land composed as agricultural areas.
Izmir has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild to cool rainy winters. the average temperature as below:
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.4 | 27 | 30.5 | 32.5 | 37.6 | 41.3 | 42.6 | 43 | 40.1 | 36 | 30.3 | 25.2 |
| -72.3 | -80.6 | -86.9 | -90.5 | -99.7 | -106 | -109 | -109 | -104 | -96.8 | -86.5 | -77.4 | |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9 | 9.9 | 12.4 | 16.2 | 21.1 | 26 | 28.6 | 28.5 | 24.2 | 19.5 | 14.4 | 10.5 |
| -48.2 | -49.8 | -54.3 | -61.2 | -70 | -78.8 | -83.5 | -83.3 | -75.6 | -67.1 | -57.9 | -50.9 | |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.2 | −5.2 | −3.8 | 0.6 | 4.3 | 9.5 | 15.4 | 11.5 | 10 | 3.6 | −2.9 | −4.7 |
| -17.2 | -22.6 | -25.2 | -33.1 | -39.7 | -49.1 | -59.7 | -52.7 | -50 | -38.5 | -26.8 | -23.5 |
Statistical Information about Izmir universities and number of students as per 2020 and 2021 education year.
- Izmir is the third biggest city in Turkey, with a population of around 4.367 million people.
- Izmir is the third city in the number of universities.
- Ankara has 10 Universities, around 5 % of total universities in Turkey.
- 176,067students, 2% of students in Turkey are studying in Izmir.
- 3,452 International students 2% of international students study in Izmir.
- The average Cost of living in Izmir is 450 to 650 USD.
- The most expensive program is medicine for around 15,00 USD yearly fees.
- The low-price programs are mainly in government (State Universities) for a 100 USD
Universities List
Istanbul:
| University | Type of University | Ranking Worldwide | Ranking Turkey | Number of students |
| İSTANBUL ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 467 | 2 | 543,156 |
| İSTANBUL ÜNİVERSİTESİ-CERRAHPAŞA | Public | 467 | 2 | 33,255 |
| İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 511 | 3 | 37,608 |
| BOĞAZİÇİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 554 | 6 | 15,979 |
| MARMARA ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 793 | 12 | 72,736 |
| YILDIZ TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 955 | 13 | 36,166 |
| KOÇ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 1100 | 20 | 8,909 |
| SABANCI ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 1135 | 21 | 5,314 |
| İSTANBUL BİLGİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 1535 | 27 | 21,814 |
| YEDİTEPE ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 1542 | 28 | 21,766 |
| KADİR HAS ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 2065 | 34 | 5,916 |
| ÖZYEĞİN ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 2578 | 44 | 8,367 |
| İSTANBUL AYDIN ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 2670 | 45 | 37,392 |
| İSTANBUL KÜLTÜR ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 2686 | 46 | 15,937 |
| BAHÇEŞEHİR ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 2993 | 53 | 27,222 |
| GALATASARAY ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 3049 | 54 | 4,333 |
| MİMAR SİNAN GÜZEL SANATLAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 3317 | 58 | 10,153 |
| BEYKENT ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 3323 | 59 | 30,567 |
| İSTANBUL TİCARET ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 3337 | 60 | 9,311 |
| MALTEPE ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 3701 | 70 | 11,936 |
| IŞIK ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 3706 | 71 | 7,584 |
| İSTANBUL MEDİPOL ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 3796 | 76 | 37,095 |
| ÜSKÜDAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 3852 | 78 | 22,967 |
| DOĞUŞ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 4051 | 82 | 10,765 |
| HALİÇ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 4255 | 84 | 12,522 |
| İSTANBUL OKAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 4381 | 87 | 16,431 |
| İSTANBUL GELİŞİM ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 4886 | 95 | 31,612 |
| İSTANBUL AREL ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 5239 | 109 | 12,207 |
| İSTANBUL MEDENİYET ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 5409 | 111 | 11,939 |
| FATİH SULTAN MEHMET Foundation ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 5726 | 119 | 7,172 |
| İSTANBUL SABAHATTİN ZAİM ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 5733 | 120 | 11,116 |
| İSTANBUL GEDİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 5867 | 124 | 5,538 |
| ACIBADEM MEHMET ALİ AYDINLAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 5975 | 126 | 4,782 |
| BEZM-İ ÂLEM Foundation ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 6005 | 127 | 3,411 |
| SAĞLIK BİLİMLERİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 6050 | 128 | 18,039 |
| NİŞANTAŞI ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 6130 | 130 | 21,088 |
| TÜRK-ALMAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 6710 | 138 | 2,971 |
| PİRİ REİS ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 6974 | 143 | 4,905 |
| İSTANBUL YENİ YÜZYIL ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 7065 | 144 | 8,741 |
| ALTINBAŞ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 7067 | 145 | 11,679 |
| İSTİNYE ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 7130 | 146 | 10,576 |
| BİRUNİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 7157 | 147 | 10,028 |
| MEF ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 7274 | 149 | 3,821 |
| BEYKOZ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 7470 | 151 | 4,940 |
| İBN HALDUN ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 7644 | 154 | 1,478 |
| İSTANBUL 29 MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 8213 | 160 | 2,175 |
| İSTANBUL AYVANSARAY ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 8296 | 162 | 7,571 |
| İSTANBUL ESENYURT ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 8462 | 165 | 6,209 |
| FENERBAHÇE ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 9212 | 168 | 1,806 |
| İSTANBUL KENT ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 9239 | 169 | 3,655 |
| İSTANBUL RUMELİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 9446 | 170 | 4,671 |
| İSTANBUL ATLAS ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 23562 | 213 | 904 |
| ATAŞEHİR ADIGÜZEL MESLEK YÜKSEKOKULU | Foundation | NA | NA | 1,001 |
| DEMİROĞLU BİLİM ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | NA | NA | 2,823 |
| FARUK SARAÇ TASARIM MESLEK YÜKSEKOKULU (İSTANBUL) | Foundation | NA | NA | 328 |
| İSTANBUL GALATA ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | NA | NA | 682 |
| İSTANBUL KAVRAM MESLEK YÜKSEKOKULU | Foundation | NA | NA | 218 |
| İSTANBUL SAĞLIK VE TEKNOLOJİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | NA | NA | 574 |
| İSTANBUL ŞİŞLİ MESLEK YÜKSEKOKULU | Foundation | NA | NA | 4,846 |
| Total | 1,288,707 |
Ankara:
| University | Type of University | Ranking Worldwide | Ranking Turkey | Number of students |
| ORTA DOĞU TEKNİK University | Public | 400 | 1 | 30,750 |
| HACETTEPE University | Public | 517 | 4 | 52,740 |
| ANKARA University | Public | 525 | 5 | 68,355 |
| GAZİ University | Public | 625 | 8 | 41,441 |
| İHSAN DOĞRAMACI BİLKENT University | Foundation | 753 | 11 | 11,906 |
| BAŞKENT University | Foundation | 1,653 | 29 | 17,442 |
| ÇANKAYA University | Foundation | 3,061 | 55 | 6,876 |
| TOBB EKONOMİ VE TEKNOLOJİ University | Foundation | 3,542 | 66 | 5,827 |
| ATILIM University | Foundation | 3,759 | 75 | 9,525 |
| ANKARA YILDIRIM BEYAZIT University | Public | 5,217 | 107 | 23,002 |
| TED University | Foundation | 5,722 | 118 | 4,409 |
| ANKARA SOSYAL BİLİMLER University | Foundation | 6,464 | 134 | 3,098 |
| TÜRK HAVA KURUMU University | Foundation | 7,197 | 148 | 2,986 |
| UFUK University | Foundation | 7,475 | 152 | 4,745 |
| YÜKSEK İHTİSAS University | Foundation | 12,164 | 174 | 1,717 |
| LOKMAN HEKİM University | Foundation | 13,433 | 184 | 2,082 |
| ANKARA HACI BAYRAM VELİ University | Public | 14,618 | 189 | 27,369 |
| ANKARA BİLİM University | Foundation | NA | NA | 393 |
| ANKARA MEDİPOL University | Foundation | NA | NA | 2,797 |
| ANKARA MÜZİK VE GÜZEL SANATLAR University | Public | NA | NA | 409 |
| OSTİM TEKNİK University | Foundation | NA | NA | 1,537 |
Izmir:
| University | Type of University | Ranking Worldwide | Ranking Turkey | Number of students |
| EGE ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 718 | 9 | 57808 |
| DOKUZ EYLÜL ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 727 | 10 | 65141 |
| İZMİR YÜKSEK TEKNOLOJİ ENSTİTÜSÜ | Public | 3381 | 63 | 6211 |
| YAŞAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 3754 | 74 | 8454 |
| İZMİR EKONOMİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 3912 | 81 | 9965 |
| İZMİR KATİP ÇELEBİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 5464 | 113 | 15197 |
| İZMİR DEMOKRASİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 7503 | 153 | 7233 |
| İZMİR BAKIRÇAY ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Public | 8440 | 164 | 3800 |
| İZMİR TINAZTEPE ÜNİVERSİTESİ | Foundation | 21939 | 207 | 473 |
| İZMİR KAVRAM MESLEK YÜKSEKOKULU | Foundation | NA | NA | 1785 |
| 176067 |
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