{"id":12963,"date":"2026-09-19T09:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T06:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sayainternational.com\/en\/study-law-in-turkey\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T09:50:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T06:20:00","slug":"study-law-in-turkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sayainternational.com\/en\/study-law-in-turkey\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Law in Turkey 2027: Programs, Language, Costs and Careers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year a few dozen of the students who contact us ask the same thing: can I study law in Turkey<\/strong> as a foreigner, and will the degree actually be useful afterwards? The short answer is yes, you can, and for the right person it is a smart choice. The longer answer depends on the language you are willing to study in, where you want to work after graduation and how much you can spend on tuition<\/p>\n

Turkish law faculties are old, serious and fairly competitive. Ankara University opened its law school in 1925, and Istanbul University traces its legal teaching back even further. What surprises many applicants is how European the system feels. The Turkish Civil Code was adapted from the Swiss model in 1926, commercial law borrows heavily from German thinking, and a lot of the reasoning you learn will look familiar if you later move into EU or comparative law<\/p>\n

At a glance:<\/strong> 4-year undergraduate LLB (Hukuk) \u2022 Most programs taught in Turkish, a few with English or French components \u2022 Foreign applicants admitted with Y\u00d6S, SAT or the university’s own exam \u2022 Practising as an avukat in Turkey requires Turkish citizenship<\/div>\n

Why Study Law in Turkey as an International Student?<\/h2>\n

The honest selling points are cost, quality of teaching and location. A law degree at a decent state university costs a fraction of what you would pay in the UK or the US, and the faculties in Ankara and Istanbul have produced judges, ministers and academics for a century. You also sit between Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, which matters if you are interested in trade, energy, migration or human rights work<\/p>\n

There is one point we always raise in the first call, because it saves people a lot of disappointment. A Turkish law degree trains you in Turkish law. If your plan is to practise in your home country, you will need to check how your local bar treats foreign law degrees before you enrol. Some countries ask for conversion exams, some ask for extra coursework and a few will not accept it at all<\/p>\n

\"Istanbul
Istanbul Palace of Justice in \u00c7a\u011flayan, one of the largest courthouses in Europe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Language of Instruction: Turkish, English or French?<\/h2>\n

This is the biggest decision you will make. Because the core subjects are Turkish codes, statutes and court decisions, the vast majority of undergraduate law programmes are taught in Turkish. State universities usually expect proof of Turkish at around C1 level, and most international students reach that through a one-year preparatory course. Our guide to learning Turkish at a T\u00d6MER centre before university<\/a> explains how that year works and what the certificate looks like<\/p>\n

A handful of universities mix languages. Galatasaray University in Istanbul has a long Turkish\u2013French tradition and teaches part of its law curriculum in French. Some private universities in Istanbul and Ankara, such as Bilkent, Ko\u00e7 or Istanbul Bilgi, run a share of their courses in English, especially in international, EU and commercial law. A fully English-taught LLB is rare, so be careful with agents who promise one without naming the programme and showing the official language percentage<\/p>\n

If you really do not want to learn Turkish, the more realistic route is a bachelor’s somewhere else (or in a related field like international relations) followed by an English-taught LLM in Turkey. Several universities offer master’s programmes in international law, European Union law, human rights or business law in English<\/p>\n

Admission Requirements for Foreign Students<\/h2>\n

International applicants do not sit the national YKS exam that Turkish students take. Instead, each university sets its own criteria for foreign nationals. In our experience a typical file looks like this<\/p>\n