You can enroll your child to pre-school (children ages 36-68 months). Children that are between 66 and 72 months may be enrolled in primary schools if their parents want to. Children who are not yet school-aged may be enrolled in nursery classes, nursery schools or kindergartens depending on their age.

You must apply to to the District Education Directorate in your residential location with your International Protection Applicant or Beneficiary Identity Document. The District Education Directorate make the necessary allocations for placement to the pre-school.

To benefit from the rights and services regarding education, you have to complete the international protection application. In Turkey, education is compulsory for 12 years and has three stages: Four years of primary school, four years of lower-secondary school and four years of upper-secondary school. The language in Turkish public schools is Turkish. You and your child will have the right to enroll in education as well as Turkish language courses and vocational training.

To enroll in school for compulsory education, you need to approach the District Education Directorate in your residential location with your International Protection Applicant or Beneficiary Identity Document, and they will refer you to the nearest available public school for registration. In addition, you need an official document showing your residential address, which can be claimed from the Population and Civil Registry Department. If you or your child attended school before, you also need to submit additional documents and/or diplomas showing your previous attendance at the school.

If you do not have the necessary documents, the District Education Commission will conduct a test to determine your appropriate grade level. Please note that education is free in all public schools. As to enrollment in high school, if you would like to enroll yourself or your child in a Science High School, Social Sciences High School, Anatolian High School, Anatolian Religious Vocational School, or Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, you/your child would need to take an exam. 

There is also a chance to enroll in schools providing distance education opportunities. There are five types of distance education institutions: secondary school, high school, vocational high school, Imam Hatip high school, and vocational and technical school. You/your children can get free courses for Turkish language education from public education centers by showing your International Protection Applicant or Beneficiary Identity Document in order to register.

In addition, some civil society organizations, such as World Academy for Local Government and Democracy with cooperation of the UNHCR, offer vocational courses in municipalities and free Turkish language courses as well. Public education centers, the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) and vocational course groups in municipalities provide vocational training courses free of charge. You are required to present your International Protection Applicant or Beneficiary Identity Document in order to enroll in these courses as well.

Children may be excused from participating in school with the consent of their parents and valid excuses.

You can take your child to a regular doctor. In case of emergency, go to the hospital. You can also go to the pediatrician.

Emergency treatment is free in Turkey, but private hospitals may charge for admissions. For any emergencies, you can call 112. Many doctors speak English.

The main prerequisite for enrollment in a university in Turkey is to be a high school graduate. If you complete high school and meet the university entrance requirements, you can get a university education in Turkey. One of the most important requirements to enter a university is to be successful in the Examination for Foreign Students (YÖS). In principle, Turkish students take a national exam but foreign students need to take YÖS, which is organized by each university. Therefore, applying to different universities could yield different requirements. Please note that you may be required to pay an application fee to take this exam.

There are two types of universities in Turkey: public universities and foundation universities. Foreign students have to pay for both of them.

The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) recognizes most Ukrainian universities so it is possible for Ukrainian citizens to transfer to, and continue their education at, Turkish universities.

You can find an excel list regarding Ukrainian higher education institutions recognized by the Council of Higher education on this website (via the “Yükseköğretim Kurulu Tarafından Tanınan Ukrayna’daki Yükseköğretim Kurumları Listesi” tab under the “Öğrenci” tab on the homepage).

Information regarding the diploma recognition and equivalence procedure can be found here .

Turkish is the predominant language in Turkey. Moreover, it is the language in Turkish schools. But there are a number of private schools and universities which offer education in the English language. Private schools of embassies for instance also offer education in their native language.

A list of testing centers and dates can be found on the following websites:

For TOEFL see ets.org

For IELTS see ielts.org