FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Medicine in Turkey takes six years, so what you spend each month on living costs affects your total budget more than the name of the university does. Families often struggle to find clear cost information, and many sources mix promotion with facts. Istanbul is the most expensive of the cities involved; Ankara, Kayseri and Gaziantep are usually cheaper.
Key takeaways
- The medical degree takes 6 years.
- Clinical training in hospitals is a core part of the education.
- Living costs affect the total budget more than the university name does.
- Competitive medicine programs often expect an SAT score around 1500.
- Good planning prevents extra semesters and extra costs.
Why Turkey is considered affordable for medicine
Medicine is expensive everywhere, but total costs in Turkey are more manageable than in many other countries. Transport, food and housing are still reasonable for students, which matters in a degree that demands full-time study.
Private universities follow the same national rules for medical education, so the structure of the program stays consistent from one university to the next.
Living costs for medical students
Average monthly cost for a student, rent included:
- Istanbul: 600 to 900 USD
- Ankara or other cities: 450 to 700 USD
- Dormitories and shared apartments lower the cost further
- Public transport is affordable with a student card
Private medical universities to compare
International students often choose these eight universities for manageable costs and clinical training. Before you apply, confirm where clinical training takes place and how the rotations are organized.
- Biruni University (Istanbul): focus on health sciences, with hospital-integrated training
- Atlas University (Istanbul): simulation labs and planned clinical rotations
- Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University (Istanbul): a full six-year medical program with clinical exposure
- Istanbul Aydın University (Istanbul): a healthcare network that supports practice
- Nişantaşı University (Istanbul): medical infrastructure still being developed, plus basic sciences
- Lokman Hekim University (Ankara): connected to a healthcare group, in a city with lower costs
- Başkent University (Ankara): long-term clinical partnerships
- Sanko University (Gaziantep): a health-themed university with practice-oriented training
🔄 Updated: Oct 30, 2026 10:59
How medical training works
The degree lasts 6 years. The first years cover basic sciences such as anatomy and physiology. In the later years students move into hospitals, work alongside doctors and observe patients.
A university with an active hospital gives more exposure, and the quality of that clinical training counts for more than how the campus looks.
Admission requirements and documents
Admission runs through a documentation process coordinated with StudyLeo, which walks applicants through preparing each document correctly and in the format universities expect.
A bachelor's degree in medicine needs:
- High school diploma
- High school transcript
- Passport
- Photo
- Graduation certificate
A master's degree needs:
- Bachelor's diploma
- Bachelor's transcript
- Passport
- Photo
- Graduation certificate
A doctorate (PhD) needs:
- Bachelor's diploma
- Master's diploma
- Official transcripts for all previous degrees
- Graduation certificates
- Passport
- Photo
For doctoral applications, StudyLeo supports applicants through documentation and submission, and applicants pay no service fee.
A lower price only helps if the training behind it is good, so ask each university where its students rotate before you compare fees.
