Turkiye Burslari: How Indonesian and Malaysian Students Apply for Turkey's Government Scholarship

What Turkiye Burslari covers

Turkiye Burslari is the Turkish government's flagship scholarship for international students, run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). It funds associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and PhDs at Turkish public and select private universities. The award covers full tuition, a place in university housing, health insurance, a one-time return flight ticket between your home country and Turkey, and a monthly stipend for living costs.

Scholars who do not already have strong Turkish language ability also receive one year of free Turkish language instruction through TOMER centers before their degree program begins. This preparatory year is standard for most awardees and is built into the scholarship timeline, so budget an extra year beyond your degree length when planning.

Eligibility and academic requirements

Requirements are set separately for each degree level and change slightly year to year, so always confirm the current cycle's figures on turkiyeburslari.gov.tr before applying. As a general pattern across recent cycles, associate and bachelor's applicants need a strong secondary school academic average and must be under an upper age limit, master's applicants need a higher minimum average and a slightly higher age ceiling, and PhD applicants face the highest academic bar. Health sciences programs such as medicine, dentistry and pharmacy set a notably higher minimum average than other bachelor's fields, since competition for medical seats is intense. You must not hold Turkish citizenship, including dual citizenship with Turkey, to qualify.

Application timeline for Indonesian and Malaysian applicants

Applications open once a year through the same online portal for every eligible country, including Indonesia and Malaysia. For the 2026 intake, the application window ran from January 10 to February 20, 2026, based on the official announcement on the Turkiye Burslari site. Because dates shift slightly each year, check the current year's announcement page rather than relying on the previous cycle's dates.

1. Create an account and complete the online application form, uploading transcripts, diploma or enrollment certificate, a passport copy, and (for postgraduate levels) a statement of purpose and reference letters

2. Select up to a fixed number of program and university preferences from the approved list for your degree level

3. Wait for the initial evaluation, which screens applications against minimum academic and document requirements

4. Shortlisted candidates are invited to an interview, held either in person at a designated location or online depending on the country and year

5. Final results are announced through the applicant's online account, followed by placement into a specific university and program

Indonesian and Malaysian applicants submit through the same central system as all other countries. There is no separate national quota portal, though YTB's local representative offices in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur can answer country-specific questions and sometimes host information sessions before the deadline.

Program and university placement

You do not apply directly to a specific university's own admissions office for Turkiye Burslari. Instead, you rank your preferred programs and universities within the scholarship application, and YTB places successful candidates based on preferences, academic record and available seats. This differs from Turkey's separate university-run entrance exam route for international students (the YOS exam), which requires a direct application to each university.

Applicants aiming for high-demand fields such as medicine, engineering or international relations at Turkey's most selective universities should treat their preference ranking carefully, since placement is competitive and popular programs fill first among qualified applicants.

After the scholarship: bond and service considerations

Turkiye Burslari does not carry the kind of mandatory home-country bond service that some ASEAN national scholarships require. Scholars are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress each year to keep the award, and repeated academic failure can lead to termination. Confirm the current cycle's specific continuation rules, since satisfactory progress thresholds are set out in the scholarship's terms and conditions published alongside each year's application call.

Preparing a strong application

Because Turkiye Burslari receives applications from students across more than 150 countries for a limited number of places each year, competitive applicants prepare their documents well ahead of the window opening rather than starting once the portal is live. A clear statement of purpose matters most at master's and PhD level, where evaluators look for a specific research or career reason tied to Turkey rather than a general interest in studying abroad. Reference letters should come from teachers or supervisors who know your academic work directly and can speak to specific projects or coursework, not just confirm your enrollment.

Applicants should also research their preferred universities and programs individually before ranking preferences, since placement depends on both your ranking order and the receiving university's own capacity and requirements that year. A program preference list built only around university name recognition, without checking whether the specific program matches your academic background, reduces your chances of a placement that fits your goals.

Life as a Turkiye Burslari scholar

Scholars are placed into university-managed dormitory housing rather than choosing their own accommodation freely, at least for the first year, which simplifies the transition into a new country. The one-year Turkish language program before degree studies begin also functions as an adjustment period, giving scholars time to build friendships with other international students, most of whom are going through the same preparatory year, before coursework in Turkish or English begins in earnest. This structure is one reason Turkiye Burslari remains a common recommendation for Indonesian and Malaysian students who want a fully funded degree with an established support system already built into the program, rather than piecing together funding and housing on their own.