Equivalency when returning to Türkiye

This page is for those who studied in the USA and returned to Türkiye or want to use their US diploma in Türkiye. Three separate institutions are authorized in Türkiye: YÖK for associate, bachelor's and master's degrees; the Interuniversity Council (ÜAK) for doctoral degrees; and MEB for primary, middle and high school documents. Here, we explain each institution's application process, required documents, 2026 fees and e-Government procedures.

• Recognition: YÖK's acceptance that a university abroad and its program are authorized to award an academic degree.
• School Recognition Certificate: the official letter proving this. It is used for military deferment, transferring to a university in Türkiye and applying to ÜAK for doctoral equivalency.
• Equivalency: determining which field and degree in Türkiye is equivalent to an associate, bachelor's or master's diploma obtained from a recognized school. At the end, a "Diploma Equivalency Certificate" or "Graduation Equivalency Certificate" is issued; both serve the same purpose.
• Important for US schools: According to YÖK, a School Recognition Certificate for schools in the USA cannot be obtained through e-Government. The "School Recognition Petition Sample" must be completed and sent by hand or mail to the YÖK Department of Recognition and Equivalency Services. No appointment is required for this.
• According to YÖK, Turkish citizens who will apply to universities in Türkiye for a master's or doctoral program must apply for equivalency for the bachelor's or master's diploma they obtained abroad.
• If you will use the diploma for another job or procedure, ask the relevant institution whether it requires equivalency.

1. Prepare the documents (list below). Have Turkish translations certified by a Turkish notary or a Turkish foreign mission in the USA.
2. Submit a preliminary application through e-Government: Log in with your e-Government password to the "Preliminary Application for Foreign Diploma Equivalency" at turkiye.gov.tr/yok-denklik-basvurusu. Fill in the information, upload the documents, print and sign the form, and make an appointment.
3. Pay the fee: For 2026, the diploma or graduation equivalency application fee is TRY 1,250. Write "Name, Surname, Equivalency Application" in the description.
   • YÖK Department of Strategy Development, Ziraat Bank, IBAN: TR45 0001 0017 4505 3864 1950 57
4. Go to YÖK on the appointment day: in person with the originals of your documents or through your officially authorized representative. The documents will be checked and returned to you. For the power of attorney, see 11.4 Power of attorney, notary procedures and apostille.
5. Track your file: The stages appear on the "Equivalency Application Inquiry" screen in e-Government: preliminary review, review, missing documents, BAD Commission, Commission, SYBS and equivalency printing.
6. Result: The decision is notified in writing to the address you declared. Notify them by petition if your address changes.
7. Duration: It varies depending on the country, program, correspondence and commission review; YÖK does not provide a fixed period.
8. Missing documents: If you do not complete the specified deficiencies within 30 days, the application is returned. You may request additional time with a reasoned petition.
9. There is no fee refund; the fee paid is not refunded even if the application is rejected.

• signed online preliminary application form and signed Consent Declaration form
• original Turkish ID card or identity card
• original diploma or graduation certificate and its Turkish translation certified by a Turkish notary or Turkish foreign mission
• original certified transcript showing all courses, credits and grades, and its certified Turkish translation
• transcript and translation from any other school if courses were transferred
• language-of-instruction exam certificate: if the language of your program is one in which ÖSYM administers an exam, at least 60 points from YDS or an equivalent score from an exam recognized as equivalent to YDS by ÖSYM, with a verification-code certificate. ÖSYM administers YDS in various languages, including English. This certificate may be submitted within two years after the application at the latest; otherwise, the application is rejected.
• original passports used during the period of study or certified copies of the entry-exit pages
• entry-exit record from e-Government or the provincial police department
• for dual citizens, a document proving that you lived in that country during the period of study
• fee receipt and a color photocopy of all documents, including all passport pages
• Additional for master's degrees: bachelor's diploma (if obtained abroad, YÖK bachelor's equivalency certificate), two copies of the thesis, one printed and one electronic, and a certified Turkish translation of the thesis cover and abstract.
• Pharmacy graduates: certificate of a one-month internship at a pharmacy registered with the Chamber of Pharmacists in Türkiye.

• Physical presence: You must have been present in the country where you studied for a period equivalent to the duration of formal education in Türkiye. YÖK calculates the stay using passport and entry-exit records; it may request a document showing that you received face-to-face (on-campus) education and a student visa covering the study dates.
• Direct equivalency: Direct equivalency is granted to universities ranked among the top 400 by at least three of the ranking organizations accepted by YÖK (Times Higher Education, QS, ARWU and CWTS Leiden) in the year you began your studies.
• YKS ranking criterion: For those who completed high school in Türkiye and studied medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or law, if the university is not ranked in the top 1,000 in at least two rankings, you must have taken the YKS in the year you began studying abroad and have achieved the success band required in Türkiye for that program. Those enrolled in the program before the change are exempt.
• Level and Proficiency Assessment System (SYBS): If deficiencies are identified, course completion, a level assessment exam (STS), clinical practice, internship completion or a project may be required.
  • STS is administered by ÖSYM in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and teaching, and by Anadolu University in fields such as engineering. A minimum score of 40 out of 100 is required to pass.
  • In medicine, a passing certificate from exams such as USMLE Step 3 may be accepted instead of STS.
  • For course completion, three state universities are preferred; bachelor's studies must be completed within a maximum of four years.
• Doctoral diplomas are applied for not through YÖK but through the Interuniversity Council (ÜAK). A school recognition certificate must first be obtained from YÖK.
• Military service: Students whose equivalency process is ongoing may obtain a "Procedures in Progress" letter from YÖK. It is free if requested during the application; if requested later by petition, it costs TRY 300. See 11.5 Military service.

• MEB equivalency is required if your child studying in the USA will continue school in Türkiye or apply to a university in Türkiye with a US high school diploma.
• Place of application: All applications are submitted electronically through edenklik.meb.gov.tr.
  • If you are in the USA: the equivalency center at the education consultancy or attaché office serving the area where the school is located (addresses are on page 6.6).
  • If you are in Türkiye: the provincial directorate of national education or authorized district directorate of national education where you live.
• Steps:
  1. Log in to the e-Equivalency system and complete the MEB Equivalency Application Form; sign the printout with a wet signature.
  2. Upload the documents as PDFs. No appointment can be created with missing documents.
  3. Go to the equivalency center on the appointment day with the originals of the documents.
  4. After commission approval, obtain the equivalency certificate from the "Application Inquiry" page in e-Equivalency.
• Who applies: For those under 18, a parent or guardian; persons aged 18 or older apply in person.
• Duration: Equivalency centers in Türkiye finalize the application within at most 5 business days from the appointment date.
• Fee: We could not find information about an application fee in MEB's guide or on the e-Equivalency website; ask your center.

• For students in intermediate grades: the certified and stamped report card or transcript for the last year; a school withdrawal letter; and a promotion letter showing that the student advanced to the next grade. If promotion to the next grade is not stated on the report card, this document is required; if it is not provided, equivalency is granted according to the current grade level.
• For high school graduates: a certified transcript for high school studies and a diploma or temporary graduation certificate. The diploma requires an apostille. In the USA, apostilles for state documents are issued by that state's Secretary of State office.
• According to the New York Education Attaché Office: apostille or notary certification is not required for intermediate-grade equivalency; an apostille may be requested for graduation equivalency.
• Proof of identity and presence: Turkish ID card or passport, a photocopy of the parent's ID, and passport entry-exit pages showing the study dates. If the pages are unavailable, an I-94 record is accepted as an official document proving that you were in the USA.
• Translation: A notarized translation is required if necessary. Translations made abroad require approval from a Turkish consulate.
• US grade point average: If both weighted and unweighted GPA appear on the transcript, the weighted GPA calculated by the school is used; an official document showing the school's grading system (grading scale or school profile) is required. If this document is unavailable, the unweighted GPA is used.
• Graduates of US-system schools in a third country: If they cannot provide a higher-education admission letter from the state education ministry, a minimum score of 1000 on the SAT or 19 on the ACT is accepted.
• Returning without documents: A student who arrives without documents during the school year may temporarily attend school with the parent's written declaration; the documents must be provided within 3 months.
• One grade below: With a parent's petition, the child may be placed one grade below the grade stated on the equivalency certificate, except for preparatory class.
• For apostilling a document in the USA, see 1.10 Passports and documents and 11.4 Power of attorney, notary procedures and apostille.

• Under YÖK's 2026 principles, Turkish citizens who complete all of their high school education abroad (excluding the TRNC) may apply to universities' quotas for admitting students from abroad. They must be in their final year of high school or have graduated.
• Dual citizens whose first nationality by birth is Turkish may also apply if they completed all of high school abroad. Turkish citizens who completed high school in Türkiye or the TRNC cannot apply for these quotas.
• Universities set their own admission criteria. Results of entrance exams such as the SAT are valid for 2 years; ÖSYM's TR-YÖS exam is administered twice a year and is used by all universities.
• For medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy and teaching programs, the quota reserved for these applicants may not exceed 10% of the quota in the relevant field.
• The lower and upper limits of the fees charged to these students at state universities are determined by a Presidential Decision.
• Obtain MEB equivalency for your high school diploma before applying.

• YÖK Department of Recognition and Equivalency Services
  • Address: Council of Higher Education, Üniversiteler Mah. 1600. Cad. No: 10, 06800 Bilkent / Ankara
  • Telephone: +90 850 470 0 965
  • Email: denklik@yok.gov.tr
• Interuniversity Council (doctoral equivalency): uak.gov.tr
• MEB equivalency centers (USA): Washington Education Consultancy (+1 202 612 6810) and education attaché offices in New York (+1 212 687 8395), Boston (+1 857 284 7448), Chicago (+1 312 392 2860), Houston (+1 713 325 2862) and Los Angeles (+1 310 342 5222). Addresses are on page 6.6.
• MEB Board of Education and Discipline (equivalency policy): Serhat Mah. 1290. Sokak No: 1, 06374 Yenimahalle / Ankara
• In Türkiye: provincial directorates of national education and authorized district directorates of national education. See the list in the "Equivalency Centers" section of the e-Equivalency website.
• For consular certification of documents and powers of attorney: 11.2 Consular appointments and e-Government.

• Searching for a school recognition certificate for a US school on e-Government; US schools require a petition.
• Applying with a color printout of a digital diploma.
• Failing to submit a YDS or equivalent exam certificate despite having studied in English; submitting a result from an at-home exam.
• Failing to keep passport entry-exit pages or old passports.
• Having translations prepared without certification by a Turkish notary or consulate.
• Taking a high school diploma to the graduation equivalency application without an apostille.
• Applying to YÖK for doctoral equivalency; doctoral equivalency is handled by ÜAK.
• Attempting to apply for the foreign-student quota despite having studied part of high school in Türkiye.

• Is my US diploma automatically valid in Türkiye? No. You must obtain equivalency from YÖK for associate, bachelor's and master's degrees, and from ÜAK for doctoral degrees.
• Can I apply from the USA? The preliminary YÖK application is submitted through e-Government; on the appointment day, you must go to YÖK in person or through an officially authorized representative. For MEB equivalency, you may apply to the education consultancy or attaché office in the USA.
• How long does equivalency take? At YÖK, the duration varies by file. MEB centers in Türkiye finalize applications within at most 5 business days from the appointment.
• My child is returning in the middle of the year and the documents are not ready. The child may temporarily start school with the parent's written declaration; you must provide the documents within 3 months.
• Is an apostille required for an intermediate-grade report card? According to the New York Education Attaché Office, it is not required; an apostille may be requested for a high school graduation document.
• My name is written incorrectly on the equivalency certificate. On YÖK documents, the name appears as written on the diploma; subsequent identity changes are not added to the document. For a name discrepancy in MEB documents, an official document such as a name equivalency certificate or civil registry record is required.
• I am a medical graduate; do I have to take STS? Yes, if the commission decides so. A passing certificate from exams such as USMLE Step 3 may be accepted instead of STS.

• e-Government – YÖK Preliminary Application for Foreign Diploma Equivalency
• e-Government – YÖK equivalency application inquiry
• YÖK – School Recognition Petition Sample (PDF)
• YÖK – Consent Declaration form (PDF)
• YÖK Recognition and Equivalency Services
• MEB e-Equivalency (application and inquiry)
• MEB Equivalency Application Form (PDF)
• MEB Equivalency Level Assessment Exam Guide (PDF)
• MEB Equivalency Guide 2025 (PDF, approximately 119 MB)
• YÖK – Principles on the Admission of Students from Abroad 2026 (PDF)
• USA.gov – Apostille (US documents)