It is with great pleasure I would like to invite Rwandan students to discover their potential with “Türkiye Scholarships”, and announce that the applications for this year’s program has started on 10th January to be closed on 20th February, 2021.

Those who are willing to apply are most welcome to visit “https://www.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr”.

With the accumulation of diverse cultures and the yields of deep historical roots throughout centuries and experiences in the field of education, Turkey attracts international students all over the world and is becoming frequent meeting point of foreign students and academics representing different backgrounds.

In the last 10 years, the number of international students studying in our higher education institutions has increased by 75%.

According to current figures, Turkey became one of the most international student welcoming countries in the world with approximately 150,000 international students of whom 17,000 are provided with scholarships to study at Turkey’s top 50 universities under ‘Türkiye Scholarships’.

In a bid to help students gain new perspectives and have a unique educational experience, Türkiye Scholarships is a government-funded, competitive scholarship program, awarded to outstanding students to pursue full-time or short-term program at the top universities in Turkey.

After its inception in 2010, ‘Türkiye Scholarships’ received 40,000 applications from all over the world in its first year. With the rapid increase of the interest of diversified undergraduate and postgraduate students, the number of applications surged to almost 150,000 in 2019.

The program itself not only provides financial support but also ensures university placement for students in their intended program of application. International students are fully sponsored with free tuition fees, accommodation expenses, health insurance and monthly stipend. The scholarship program provides a compulsory one-year Turkish Language Course which ensures that all students acclimatize and adapt to the social and cultural environment they live in.

In addition to undergraduate and postgraduate studies, ‘Türkiye Scholarships’ program also provides various modules for research and one-year Turkish language education for academics, researchers and civil servants in other countries.

International students are choosing Turkey not merely for the education purposes. Besides their academic curricular program, the students can also benefit from social, cultural and academic extra- curricular programs and activities while tasting delicious Turkish cuisine and exploring the historical and natural beauties of Turkey. The welcoming atmosphere of tolerance to different cultures and embracing the diversity also constitute the key elements to answer the question of “why study in Turkey?”

After graduating from an undergraduate, Master’s and PhD program with ‘Türkiye Scholarships’, a scholar automatically becomes a member of alumni of a huge global network of more than 150,000 graduates. An “Alumni Association” is established to keep this big and growing family connected.

Finally, how to apply? Candidates who meet the requirements can submit their applications online “https://www.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr” until 20th February 2021.

After that date, as a first step, the submitted documents by candidates will be subjected to an evaluation process. After the initial assessments, successful candidates will be invited to an interview. Interviewed candidates will be informed about the results following a final assessment. For further information and updates, the interested candidates are welcome to follow announcements at “https://www.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr” and the Embassy’s social media accounts.

Contributing to international student mobility in the region surrounding Turkey and around the world, Türkiye Scholarships Program brings together leaders of the future. I would like to extend my best wishes and good luck to all potential undergraduate and postgraduate candidates who are interested in studying in Turkey and look forward to having more Rwandan students this year benefiting from this opportunity.

{ {{Burcu Çevik, is the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Rwanda}} }