Turkish Courses

Courses at Istanbul University Language Center start and end according to the annual academic calendar. The courses are planned as three semesters per year. Starting dates of the courses are regularly announced. Registrations start a month before the starting date of the course.

Our courses are organized according to the language levels defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and implemented with a communicative and learner-centred approach. Accordingly, our courses and certificates are structured as A1-A2 (Elementary level), B1-B2 (Intermediate), and C1-C2 (Advanced). Our teachers have made or are making an academic career and have specialized in this field. Our program consists of 6 courses starting from A1 level up to C2 level.

Course TypeDuration Days Hours
Standard Courses7 Weeks Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu 08.30-12.30 /13.30-17.30
Private Group ClassesClasses whose days and hours can be arranged privately.  
Private Individual ClassesClasses whose days and hours can be arranged privately.  

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* Registration starts one month before the course starts.
* Weekday evening and weekend courses are opened only in Tophane Branch if there is sufficient demand.
* * * Turkish Proficiency Exam: 50 Euro (The exam fee must be paid before taking the exam.)
* * * * Course and invitation fees are strictly not refundable.





2018-2019 Educational Period Turkish Courses will begin very soon at Istanbul University Language Center, one of the best in the field of Turkish for foreigners. In order to raise our educational quality to world standarts, our goal is to provide a better education by increasing our periodical training hours. Here is an up-dated academic calendar. 

2018-2019 EDUCATIONAL PERIOD FOR TURKISH COURSES

 START DATE
 FINISH DATE
 GROUP
 DAYS
 COURSE NUMBER
 24.09.2018
 26.08.2019
 Weekdays Morning (08.30-12.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 6 Levels
   Weekdays Afternoon (13.30-17.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 6 Levels
 8.10.2018
 9.09.2019
 Weekdays Morning (08.30-12.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 6 Levels
   Weekdays Afternoon (13.30-17.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 6 Levels
 5.11.2018
19.08.2019  Weekdays Morning (08.30-12.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 5 Levels
   Weekdays Afternoon (13.30-17.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 5 Levels
 24.12.2018
 6.09.2019
 Weekdays Morning (08.30-12.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 5 Levels
   Weekdays Afternoon (13.30-17.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 5 Levels
 25.03.2019
 23.08.2019
 Weekdays Morning (08.30-12.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 3 Levels
   Weekdays Afternoon (13.30-17.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 3 Levels
 15.04.2019
 13.09.2019
 Weekdays Morning (08.30-12.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 3 Levels
   Weekdays Afternoon (13.30-17.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 3 Levels
 24.06.2019
 27.09.2019
 Weekdays Morning (08.30-12.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 2 Levels
   Weekdays Afternoon (13.30-17.30)
 Mon./Tue./Wed./Thrs.
 2 Levels


2018 - 2019 Educational Period- Tution Fees Based on Each Branch

 Branches
Tophane 
 Süleymaniye
Avcılar
 1 course (7 weeks)
 300 €
 250 €
 250 €
 2 courses (14 weeks)
 500 €
400 € 400 €
 3 courses (21 weeks)
 750 €
 600 €
 600 €
 1 year, 6 courses (42 weeks)
 1.200 €
 1.200 €
 1.200 €
 Rate of Discount
 %20 discount for multi-registartion will be applied as %30 for a year registartion. 

Students who complete Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Turkish courses are given certificates. The validity of a document is determined not by the issuer, but by the receiving institution that will act on it. In addition, Turkish proficiency exams are held at our institution for students who wish to document their Turkish language knowledge.​


TURKISH PROFICIENCY EXAM

The Turkish Proficiency Exam prepared by Istanbul University Language Center lecturers consists of 4 main sections: Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. The exam duration is 2 hours excluding the speaking section.

Exam results are evaluated according to the European Language Portfolio. The levels are as follows:

A1 – A2 (Elementary Level)

B1 – B2 (Intermediate Level)

C1 – C2 (Advanced Level)

A1 and A2 levels are generally considered unsatisfactory, although whether the result of the examination is sufficient or not is dependent on the institution to be applied for with the document. The exam result document issued by our Center is valid at all universities in Turkey.

Our Turkish profiency exams are held every week on Tuesday at 14:00 in our Tophane Branch.
Candidates must come to our center until 13.00 on the day they want to take the exam at the latest and take the necessary bank documents from the relevant education consultant to pay the exam fee in Halk Bank. They will contact their education consultants again with the receipt they received from Halk Bank and register for the exam by submitting their passport.

Exam result documents can be received on the next business day.

The starting time of the exam is 14.00 in the afternoon, the exam of candidates who are not present in the exam room at this time will be postponed to the next exam day.


Documents required for the exam:

-    Photocopy of the candidate’s passport

-    Receipt of the Exam fee (the Exam fee is the equivalent of 50 Euros in Turkish Liras.)


The starting dates of Turkish courses are planned as 4 terms per year. Apart from these terms, new classes can be opened depending on student demand. The registration period starts one month prior to the first day of class. All candidates wishing to attend our courses are requested to get an acceptance letter issued by Istanbul University Language Center. 

To get this document, the candidate student must submit two passport copies and two photos, along with the bank receipt showing that the Turkish Lira equivalent of 100 Euros has been paid to the account of Istanbul University Language Center. The candidate students may also have an acquaintance of theirs deliver the required documents to Istanbul University Language Center on their behalf. Once the documents have been submitted, it usually takes a business day to compose and grant the acceptance letter to the candidate student.

The candidate students who wish to make an on-line application must e-mail the required documents to dilmerk@istanbul.edu.tr. The acceptance letter is composed upon the receipt of the relevant e-mail and is sent to the e-mail address of the candidate student in one working day.
 
The students who have received a letter of acceptance must apply to the Turkish Consulate in their home country for a study visa. Once granted with a student visa, the students are expected to apply to Istanbul University Language Center for registration. The fee (100 Euros) paid for the acceptance letter is then deducted from the language course fee upon registration.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (F.A.Q.)

ABOUT THE TURKISH COURSES FOR FOREIGNERS


HOW CAN I REGISTER?

To register for a course, you must come to our Tophane branch with your passport and a photo. After the payment, you can fill the registration form and complete the process. To register for a course, the student must come to our Tophane branch in person. The student can’t register via phone or e-mail.

I KNOW A LITTLE TURKISH. CAN I START FROM AN UPPER LEVEL?

If the student who wants to register has previously studied Turkish but doesn’t have a certificate to prove it, she/he can take a free Turkish Placement Test. After the exam, the student’s level is determined immediately and she/he gets placed in an appropriate class.

WHAT IS A LETTER OF INVITATION/ACCEPTANCE? HOW CAN I GET IT?

To make the process of getting a visa to enter Turkey easier, we can prepare a letter of invitation on behalf of the student who makes a request. The student submits this document to the consulate together with the other documents requested by the consulate.
The person who wants to apply for the acceptance letter, must come to our Tophane branch with a copy of his/her passport and two photos of the student. You can receive the letter of invitation/ acceptance from our branch one business day after paying the document fee. This fee will be deducted from the total course fee.

WHEN DO THE CLASSES TAKE PLACE?

Our Turkish for Foreigners courses take place 4 days a week, between 08:30 – 12:30 or 13:30 – 17:30.

WHEN DO THE COURSES START AND HOW LONG DO THEY LAST?

Generally we start the first term each year in September and we can open new classes for each level upon the request of students. Also, after the beginning of the term, we can open additonal classes if demand for registration exceeds places available.
Each course lasts 7 weeks and there are 6 levels in total. (A1-A2-B1-B2-C1-C+) 

WHERE DO THE COURSES TAKE PLACE?

As of 2018, we provide the courses in 3 different branches in Istanbul (Tophane – Süleymaniye – Avcılar). The registration process is carried out in the Tophane branch, and according to the student’s demand and the classes available, we can direct students to other branches.

I KNOW TURKISH AND I WANT TO HAVE IT CERTIFIED. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Turkish Proficiency Exams are held in Tophane Branch on a designated day every week. To register for the exam, the participant must submit valid identification with photo or passport.
The exam is not free and a Turkish Proficiency Certificate stating the level of the test-taker which is determined according to their exam score is issued for the participant. The participant can receive the document one day after the examination from our Tophane Branch.
Turkish Proficiency Exam has 4 sections (Reading-Listening-Writing-Speaking) and the level of the test-taker is determined by considering the total score.

Total Scores Corresponding to Proficiency Levels:

0 – 24 points -> Unsuccessful
25 – 44 points -> A1 level
45 – 59 points -> A2 level
60 – 74 points -> B1 level
75 – 84 points -> B2 level
85 – 99 points -> C1 level
100 points – C2 (C+) level

WHAT MATERIALS ARE USED IN THE COURSES?

We use “Istanbul – Turkish for Foreigners” in our courses. There are 5 sets (A1 – A2 – B1 – B2 – C1/+) in total and each set includes one student book, one work book and a CD)


AFTER THE REGISTRATION, WILL I HAVE STUDENT RIGHTS?

The students registered in our courses are offically named as “course participant”, therefore they can’t use the transportation card with discount etc. But with our student certificate, they can visit the museums and libraries.

AFTER THE REGISTRATION, CAN I APPLY FOR A RESIDENCE PERMIT?

To get a residence permit, firstly you must get an appointment on e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr. As a Turkish Course participant, you must be registered for a course for at least 6 months (3 levels).
As the type of the residence permit, you must choose “Short Term”

DOES THE LANGUAGE CENTER PROVIDE ACCOMODATION FOR STUDENTS? 

We don’t have a dormitory but with our student certificate, you can apply for a private dormitory.

AFTER THE REGISTRATION PROCESS HAS BEEN COMPLETED, CAN I CANCEL MY REGISTRATION? OR CAN I TRANSFER IT TO ANOTHER STUDENT?

The course fee is not refundable or transferable unless there is a force majeure (health problem etc.)