Everything you need to know about stipends, tuition waivers, dormitories, and five scholarship types for master’s and PhD applicants.
2026–2027 Academic Year10 min read Updated May 2026
Choosing a graduate school is one of the most consequential decisions you will make. Funding or the lack of it can determine whether pursuing a research degree is even possible. Sabancı University, one of Turkey’s leading private research universities, has built a graduate funding model that removes financial barriers for the vast majority of its academic master’s and PhD students.
This guide covers every scholarship type available for the 2026–2027 academic year, effective from September 2026, so you can compare your options and plan your application with full clarity.
1. Why Sabancı University stands out for graduate students
Located in Istanbul, Sabancı University consistently ranks among Turkey’s top research institutions. Its Graduate School of Engineering and Natural Sciences and its other graduate schools attract students from across Turkey and internationally. What makes the funding picture particularly attractive is breadth: not just a handful of elite fellowships, but a system where almost all admitted academic graduate students receive at minimum a full tuition waiver.
Beyond tuition, the majority of students also receive monthly living stipends and free dormitory accommodation turning a graduate degree into a financially sustainable, sometimes even comfortable, path.
Annual tuition (Turkish citizens) ₺1,595,000 100% waived for most academic grad students
Annual tuition (international students) $36,500
100% waived for most academic grad students
Distinguished PhD stipend (post-qualifying) ₺135,000/m 12 months per year
Scholarship types available 5
Distinguished · Full · Project · Waiver · TÜBİTAK
2. Overview of scholarship types
There are five distinct scholarship categories at Sabancı University. Each one bundles different combinations of tuition exemption, monthly stipend, dormitory access, health insurance, laptop, and conference support. Here is a quick summary before we go into the detail of each.
All five types include: 100% tuition fee exemption · Free dormitory (single room for PhD, double room for master’s) · Private health insurance · A laptop computer · Transportation support for students who live off-campus.
3. Distinguished Science & Technology Scholarship
This is Sabancı University’s most prestigious graduate award. It is targeted exclusively at exceptionally strong PhD applicants (and current PhD students who have passed the qualification exam) within the Graduate School of Engineering and Natural Sciences. A dedicated scholarship committee evaluates candidates separately from the regular admissions process.
Recipients gain something beyond money: the opportunity for co-supervision by leading scientists at prominent universities and research institutions worldwide, and joint PhD degrees wherever feasible. For students aiming at an international academic career, this combination of funding and global mentorship is hard to match.
Distinguished Science & Technology Scholarship Benefit Summary
| Benefit | Doctorate | After PhD qualifying exam |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition fee exemption | 100% | 100% |
| Monthly stipend | ₺115,000 (12 months) | ₺135,000 (12 months) |
| Dormitory | Single room — free | Single room — free |
| Transportation support (off-campus) | ₺10,000 (12 months) | ₺10,000 (12 months) |
| Private health insurance | ✓ | ✓ |
| Laptop computer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Annual research fund | — | $3,000 USD |
| Conference support | Once per year | Once per year |
Note the $3,000 USD annual research fund that activates after the qualifying exam a meaningful budget for experiments, equipment, or travel to specialist labs. The USD denomination also provides partial insulation from Turkish lira fluctuations.
4. Full Scholarship
The Full Scholarship is the standard high-level award covering both master’s and PhD students across all graduate schools. It combines all the core benefits tuition waiver, stipend, dormitory, health insurance, and a laptop into one package.
Full Scholarship Benefit Summary
| Benefit | Master’s | Doctorate | After qualifying exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition fee exemption | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Monthly stipend | ₺43,500 (10 months) | ₺67,500 (12 months) | ₺75,000 (12 months) |
| Dormitory | Double room — free | Single room — free | Single room — free |
| Transportation support (off-campus) | ₺10,000 (10 months) | ₺10,000 (12 months) | ₺10,000 (12 months) |
| Private health insurance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Laptop computer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Conference support | Once per year | Once per year | Once per year |
For master’s students, the stipend runs for 10 months aligned with the academic calendar. PhD students and post-qualifying exam candidates receive 12-month stipends, reflecting the year-round nature of doctoral research. Passing the qualifying exam brings a step-up in stipend from ₺67,500 to ₺75,000 per month, a meaningful incentive to progress efficiently through the doctoral milestones.
5. Project Scholarship
Research universities run on external grants. Sabancı University channels a significant share of its project funding from TÜBİTAK, industry partners, NGOs, and international grants into supporting graduate students directly. The Project Scholarship is the mechanism for this.
How the stipend works is slightly different here: the project provides a stipend, and Sabancı University tops it up to guaranteed minimum levels if the project stipend falls short. This guarantees income security regardless of the funding source.
Project Scholarship Guaranteed Minimum Stipend Levels
| Source | Master’s | Doctorate | After qualifying exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| TÜBİTAK research projects (incl. 2244) | ₺47,850/month | ₺74,250/month | ₺82,500/month |
| Industry, NGO & other external projects | Min. ₺47,850/month | Min. ₺74,250/month | Min. ₺82,500/month |
All other benefits (dormitory, health insurance, laptop, transportation support, conference support) match the Full Scholarship.
If the TÜBİTAK stipend for a given project is below the figures above, Sabancı University covers the gap. This makes Project Scholarships highly attractive for students who want to work on active funded research which also accelerates thesis progress.
6. Tuition Waiver Scholarship
Some students are admitted with tuition support but without a full monthly stipend. The Tuition Waiver Scholarship provides full or partial exemption from annual tuition fees, and in many cases still includes dormitory access, transportation support, health insurance, and a laptop. Whether dormitory support is provided depends on the specific terms of the award.
Tuition Waiver Scholarship Benefit Summary
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Tuition fee exemption | 100% or partial |
| Monthly stipend | Not included (waiver only) |
| Dormitory (if applicable) | Master’s: double room — free; PhD: single room — free |
| Transportation support (off-campus) | ₺10,000 (where dormitory support applies) |
| Private health insurance | ✓ |
| Laptop computer | ✓ |
| Conference support | Subject to institute decision |
For students who have independent income a part-time job, family support, or savings a tuition waiver alone removes the single largest cost. With Turkish-citizen tuition set at ₺1,595,000 for 2026–2027 and international tuition at $36,500, a full waiver represents substantial savings even without a stipend.
7. TÜBİTAK BİDEB Scholarship
TÜBİTAK, Turkey’s national research funding agency, runs two scholarship programs directly relevant to Sabancı University applicants: the 2210 National Graduate Scholarship Program (for master’s students) and the 2211 National Doctorate Scholarship Program (for PhD students). These are applied for separately through TÜBİTAK’s own process.
Sabancı University strongly encourages its students to apply. When a student holds a TÜBİTAK BİDEB scholarship, the university layers additional benefits on top including the tuition waiver, dormitory, health insurance, laptop, and a supplementary monthly payment.
TÜBİTAK BİDEB Scholarship Sabancı University Top-Up Benefits
| Benefit | Master’s | Doctorate | After qualifying exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition fee exemption | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Supplementary stipend (Sabancı) | ₺5,000 (10 months) | ₺5,000 (12 months) | ₺5,000 (12 months) |
| Dormitory | Double room — free | Single room — free | Single room — free |
| Transportation support (off-campus) | ₺10,000 (10 months) | ₺10,000 (12 months) | ₺10,000 (12 months) |
| Private health insurance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Laptop computer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Conference support | Once per year | Once per year | Once per year |
The TÜBİTAK BİDEB scholarship itself carries its own monthly stipend (set by TÜBİTAK and subject to periodic updates). The ₺5,000 supplementary payment from Sabancı is on top of that, making the combination generous and the free dormitory and private health insurance further reduce living costs significantly.
8. Tuition fee reference figures for 2026–2027
For context, here are the official tuition figures for newly admitted academic graduate students for the 2026–2027 academic year. These are the amounts being waived under all scholarship types above.
Turkish citizens
₺1,595,000
per year fully waived under all scholarship types
International students
$36,500
per year fully waived under all scholarship types
Professional graduate programs are not covered by these scholarships the tuition waiver and related benefits apply exclusively to academic graduate programs (research-oriented master’s and PhD programs).
9. How scholarship decisions are made
Sabancı University ties scholarship awards directly to the admissions process. There is no separate application form for most scholarships your merit as an applicant is evaluated holistically, and scholarship recommendations flow from that evaluation.
The process works as follows: the Admission Jury evaluates all applicants on academic merit and makes scholarship recommendations. Those recommendations are then finalized by the Board of the relevant Graduate School. This means that a strong application one that demonstrates clear research potential, academic achievement, and fit with available faculty directly improves your scholarship prospects.
The Distinguished Science and Technology Scholarship is an exception: it involves a separate evaluation by a dedicated scholarship committee, and candidates may be assessed independently of the standard admissions timeline.
10. Frequently asked questions
Do international students qualify for the same scholarships as Turkish citizens?
Yes. The scholarship structures described above apply to both Turkish and international students admitted to academic graduate programs. International students face a higher nominal tuition (USD 36,500 vs. ₺1,595,000), making the waiver even more significant in absolute terms.
Can I hold a TÜBİTAK BİDEB scholarship and a Sabancı University scholarship simultaneously?
Yes that is the explicit design of the TÜBİTAK BİDEB scholarship type described above. Sabancı University layers its own benefits (tuition waiver, dormitory, health insurance, laptop, and a supplementary ₺5,000/month) on top of the BİDEB stipend.
What happens to the stipend after I pass the PhD qualifying exam?
Passing the qualifying exam triggers a stipend increase across all scholarship types. Under the Full Scholarship, the monthly stipend rises from ₺67,500 to ₺75,000. Under the Distinguished Scholarship, it increases from ₺115,000 to ₺135,000 and the $3,000 annual research fund also activates at this stage.
Are professional graduate programs covered?
No. The tuition waivers and related benefits apply only to academic graduate programs. Professional graduate programs (MBA-type or professionally oriented degrees) operate under separate fee structures.
Is dormitory accommodation guaranteed, or subject to availability?
Single rooms for PhD students are standard, though in exceptional cases a double room may be allocated depending on availability. Students who choose not to live in the dormitory or for whom a room is not available receive transportation support instead (₺10,000 per applicable month).
Where can I find a list of ongoing funded projects to join?
Sabancı University publishes a list of ongoing projects at its institutes and centers on its website (as of Spring 2025–2026). Identifying a faculty member running an active project in your area and reaching out directly is one of the most effective strategies for securing a Project Scholarship.
Conclusion: Is a Sabancı University scholarship worth pursuing?
The short answer is yes emphatically, for any student serious about research in Turkey. A full tuition waiver alone eliminates costs that would otherwise require years of debt repayment. Add a living stipend, free accommodation, private health insurance, a laptop, and conference funding, and the financial picture for a Sabancı graduate student is genuinely strong by international standards.
The tiered structure also rewards academic progression: passing your PhD qualifying exam increases your monthly income, and the Distinguished Scholarship adds a research fund and global mentorship opportunities that can define a career trajectory.
For prospective applicants, the key takeaway is this: your scholarship is your application. Invest deeply in crafting a compelling research statement, connecting with potential supervisors, and presenting a clear academic record. The Admission Jury’s recommendations drive everything, and their standard is academic merit.
