The Tuition Waiver Scholarship is the baseline tier of graduate funding at Sabancı University in Istanbul, Türkiye. It removes all or part of the annual tuition fee for an academic master’s or doctoral program.
The award does not include a monthly living stipend. It does include a free dormitory place, private health insurance, a laptop computer, and transport support for students who live off campus.
Nobody applies for it separately. The admission jury of each graduate school recommends a scholarship level while it reviews the admission file, and the graduate school board makes the final decision. The university states that almost all students admitted to its academic graduate programs receive a full tuition exemption, with professional graduate programs left outside that statement.
Benefits & funding
- Full or partial exemption from the annual tuition fee. For 2026–2027 the university lists annual graduate tuition as 1,595,000 TL for Turkish citizens and 36,500 USD for international students.
- A free dormitory place: a double room for master’s students and a single room for doctoral students. The university notes a double room may be allocated to a doctoral student in exceptional cases.
- Transportation support of 10,000 TL for students who do not live in a dormitory.
- Private health insurance.
- A laptop computer.
- Conference support, subject to the graduate school’s decision.
- No monthly stipend and no research fund are listed for this award. Those belong to the university’s Full, Project and Distinguished Science & Technology scholarships.
Eligibility
- Open to applicants to Sabancı University’s academic graduate programs: thesis master’s and doctoral programs across engineering and natural sciences, arts and social sciences, and business. Professional, non-thesis programs sit outside the university’s general tuition-exemption statement.
- Master’s entry requires a completed bachelor’s degree. Students in their final undergraduate term may apply if they graduate before enrolment.
- Doctoral entry accepts either a bachelor’s or a master’s degree, except the History doctorate, which requires a master’s. Applicants entering a doctorate with a bachelor’s degree need a GPA of at least 3.00 out of 4.00.
- Graduate entrance exam floors are set by each graduate school, not university-wide. Engineering and Natural Sciences thesis master’s: ALES or e-ALES numerical 65, GRE quantitative 153, or GAT 65. Arts and Social Sciences master’s: ALES or e-ALES equal weight 55, GRE quantitative 149, or GAT 55, with Political Science at 70, 155 and 70. The Sabancı Graduate Business School does not require ALES for its non-thesis master’s programs.
- Doctoral entry with a bachelor’s degree: ALES 80, GRE quantitative 160, or GAT 80. Doctoral entry with a master’s degree: Engineering and Natural Sciences ALES 65, GRE quantitative 153, or GAT 65; Arts and Social Sciences ALES 55, GRE quantitative 149, or GAT 55, with Political Science at 70, 155 and 70; Sabancı Graduate Business School ALES 82, GRE quantitative 157, GAT 82, or GMAT 600 in the 10th Edition and 555 in the Focus Edition.
- English proficiency floors are also set per graduate school. Engineering and Natural Sciences thesis master’s and doctorate: TOEFL iBT 80, PTE 69, the YDS family of exams 67, or e-TEP 54. Arts and Social Sciences master’s and doctorate: TOEFL iBT 87, PTE 73, YDS 73, or e-TEP 64. Sabancı Graduate Business School non-thesis master’s: TOEFL iBT 83, PTE 56, YDS 69, or e-TEP 58; its doctorate: TOEFL iBT 88, PTE 74, YDS 73, or e-TEP 64. CAE grade B and CPE grade C are accepted throughout. Candidates without a valid score sit the university’s ELAE exam; those who do not pass take the English Language Preparation course, and scholarships do not apply during it.
- Applicants who studied abroad need their institution and course of study recognised by the Turkish Higher Education Council.
- The award is made on academic merit during admission, recommended by the graduate school’s admission jury and confirmed by its executive board.
- No nationality, residency, age, gender or work-experience requirement is published. The university states that international graduate students have scholarship opportunities each year.
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Application process
- 1Pick an academic master’s or doctoral program and read the requirements published by its graduate school.
- 2Create an account in the graduate admission portal at https://admission.sabanciuniv.edu/?ts=new. Applications sent by email are not accepted.
- 3Complete the online form and upload the official transcript, statement of purpose or research plan, CV, passport photograph, graduate entrance exam result and English proficiency result. Two recommenders upload their letters within three days.
- 4Submit before the deadline for the chosen program. Files are screened, and shortlisted candidates may be called to a written exam, an interview, or both.
- 5The admission jury recommends admission and a scholarship level together, and the graduate school executive board issues the final decision.
Program timeline
Early deadline for the Economics master’s and doctorate programs and the Management doctorate
Mar 27, 2026
Early deadline for thesis master’s and doctorate programs in Engineering and Natural Sciences
Apr 6, 2026
Final deadline for master’s and doctorate programs in Arts and Social Sciences
Jun 8, 2026
Final deadline for the Management doctorate
Jun 12, 2026
Final deadline for thesis master’s and doctorate programs in Engineering and Natural Sciences
Jun 15, 2026
2026-09
The published 2026–2027 scholarship terms take effect