Quick Facts

• Location: Sarıyer
• Founded: 2015
• Students: 14000 +
• Annual Tuition: $3,500 – $28,000/yr
• Language of Instruction: English \ Turkish
• Ranking: Top 5 in Turkey

Overview

• History
• Hospitals
• Faculties
• Rankings
• Programs & Fees
• Apply

Istinye University
The Complete Student Guide

Everything you need to know about ISU — programs, official fees, 3 MLPCare teaching hospitals, CERN membership, and 2026 admission requirements

On the European side of Istanbul, Istinye University (ISU) stands as a rare example of a young institution built not from scratch, but on 25 years of real-world healthcare experience. Founded in 2015 by the 21st Century Anatolian Foundation, ISU draws directly on the knowledge and infrastructure of the MLPCare Group — operator of Liv Hospital, Medical Park, and VM Medical Park, Turkey's largest private hospital network. For students of medicine and health sciences, this means clinical training in hospitals that receive hundreds of thousands of patients a year, from day one of their studies.

History & Academic Philosophy A research university built on 25 years of healthcare experience

The 21st Century Anatolian Foundation established Istinye University in 2015, securing official recognition from YÖK from the outset. What distinguishes ISU from other young private universities is that it did not start from zero: the accumulated clinical infrastructure and expertise of the MLPCare Group was channelled directly into its academic model. With 19 research centres, 88+ laboratories and training facilities, and 800+ academic staff, ISU is a genuine research institution in the truest sense of the term.

"Our mission is to become a leading institution in Turkey and the world by generating new knowledge through education and research — cultivating leaders capable of driving social, economic, scientific, and technological transformation."

ISU is one of a small number of Turkish universities to hold membership in the CERN ATLAS Experiment — the world's largest particle physics research project — opening the door to global-level scientific collaboration for faculty and postgraduate students. The university is also a member of the ESSSR — European School of Sustainability Science and Research, reflecting its commitment to the international sustainability agenda.

MLPCare — 3 Teaching Hospitals Liv Hospital · Medical Park · VM Medical Park

The greatest value ISU delivers to medicine and health sciences students is its integration with Turkey's largest private hospital group — MLPCare:

🏥 Liv Hospital

A prestigious specialist hospital focusing on cardiac surgery, oncology and organ transplantation. One of Turkey's most advanced private clinical centres, providing ISU students with exposure to complex, high-acuity cases from their earliest clinical years.

🏥 Medical Park

Turkey's largest private hospital chain with 30+ branches nationwide. ISU students gain access to a vast breadth of clinical cases across virtually every medical specialty.

🏥 VM Medical Park

Specialist hospitals forming an essential component of ISU's clinical training network for medicine and health sciences students across all years of study.

Two Campuses Topkapı · Vadi İstanbul — European side of Istanbul

🏛️ Topkapı Campus

Located in the historic Topkapı district on Istanbul's European side. Houses the Faculty of Health Sciences and specialised medical training facilities, with excellent public transport links from across the city.

🌆 Vadi İstanbul Campus — Main Campus

The modern main campus within the Vadi İstanbul mixed-use development. Houses the majority of faculties, 88+ laboratories, research centres, and a state-of-the-art conference centre.

Faculties & Programs 8 faculties · 60 bachelor's programmes

🩺 Faculty of Medicine

• Medicine (English / Turkish)
• 6 years — Vadi İstanbul
• TEPDAD + WDOMS accreditation

🦷 Faculty of Dentistry

• Dentistry (English / Turkish)
• 5 years — Vadi İstanbul
• Advanced clinical laboratories

💊 Faculty of Pharmacy

• Pharmacy (English / Turkish)
• 5 years — Vadi İstanbul

🩹 Faculty of Health Sciences

• Nursing, Physiotherapy
• Nutrition, Midwifery, Child Development
• Topkapı — SABAK accreditation

⚙️ Engineering & Natural Sciences

• Computer, Software, Biomedical
• Chemistry, Mathematics, Molecular Biology

💼 Economics & Administrative Sciences

• Business Admin, Economics
• International Trade, Health Management

🎨 Fine Arts, Design & Architecture

• Architecture, Interior Architecture
• Gastronomy, Digital Game Design

📢 Faculty of Communication

• New Media, Film & Television
• Public Relations & Advertising

🧠 Humanities & Social Sciences

• Psychology (English / Turkish)
• English Literature, Translation

Bachelor's Programs & Tuition Official 2026–2027 fee schedule — Official source ↗

Instalment payment: 50% at registration + 50% no later than 1 December 2026. | Full upfront payment: ~5% automatic discount — shown in the "Full Payment" column below.

🩺 Faculty of Medicine

🦷 Faculty of Dentistry

💊 Faculty of Pharmacy

🧠 Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences

🎨 Faculty of Fine Arts, Design & Architecture

⚙️ Faculty of Engineering & Natural Sciences

💼 Faculty of Economics & Administrative Sciences

📢 Faculty of Communication

🩹 Faculty of Health Sciences — Topkapı Campus

All fees are taken directly from the official Istinye University tuition fees page. Fees are valid for the 2026–2027 academic year only and will be updated by the Board of Trustees in subsequent years.

Discounts & Scholarships 3 discount types + merit-based scholarship

• Upfront full-payment discount: Paying the full annual fee in a single payment earns an automatic ~5% reduction — shown in the "Full Payment" column throughout the fee tables above.
• 10% discount — ISU and MLPCare employees: Available to university and MLPCare Group staff and their first-degree relatives. A minimum of one year of employment is required and must be documented at each annual re-registration.
• 5% sibling discount: Applied to each sibling when two siblings are simultaneously enrolled as active students at the university.
• 10% Istinye alumni discount: For holders of an ISU degree who enrol in a further programme at the university.
• Merit scholarship: After completing one full academic year, students may be awarded scholarships in varying amounts based on GPA and departmental ranking, per Board of Trustees criteria.

The maximum combined discount rate is 15%. Full details: Official payment options page.

Academic Rankings 2026 #1 in Turkey for International Outlook — Official list ↗

Ranking #1 in Turkey for International Outlook in THE 2026 — for a university barely 11 years old — reflects the genuine density of international students, international faculty, and depth of global research partnerships ISU has built in record time. Full details: Official rankings page.

Accreditations & International Recognition TEPDAD · SABAK · WDOMS · CEA · ECTS

YÖK — Turkey

Full institutional recognition from the Turkish Council of Higher Education

TEPDAD

Faculty of Medicine accreditation (2023)

WDOMS

Faculty of Medicine — World Directory of Medical Schools international recognition

SABAK

Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Nutrition programme accreditation

CEA

English preparatory programme accreditation

ECTS / Bologna

European Credit Transfer System — enables continuation of studies in Europe

Erasmus+

Student exchange with universities in Poland, Italy, Spain and beyond

CERN · ATLAS

CERN ATLAS Experiment membership — international scientific research

The ISU degree is recognised in all EU member states and the United Kingdom, as well as across the Arab world including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Somalia and Libya. Full details: Official international recognition page.

Key Advantages What makes ISU a strategically compelling choice

• English Medicine at $29,000 + 3 real teaching hospitals: The MLPCare network means clinical training at Turkey's busiest private hospitals — genuine patient exposure across dozens of specialties from the earliest years of study.
• #1 in Turkey for International Outlook: THE 2026 — the highest ratio of international students and faculty among Turkish universities, creating a genuinely diverse academic environment rather than a merely marketed one.
• CERN ATLAS Experiment membership: Access to the world's largest physics research infrastructure — an extraordinary research opportunity for science and engineering students that very few private universities anywhere can offer.
• Turkish-medium Pharmacy at $14,000/year: Among the most competitive pharmacy fees available at internationally accredited private Turkish universities — with the modern Vadi İstanbul campus infrastructure to match.
• Transparent two-tier pricing with real savings: Pay in full upfront and save $1,450/year on English Medicine, $1,225/year on English Dentistry — prices officially published and independently verifiable on the university's own website.

Admission Requirements Official application form ↗

• Official high school diploma with certified Turkish or English translation — see full application criteria.
• Official high school transcript (certified and translated).
• Copy of valid passport + passport-sized photograph.
• Language exam exemption is available in certain circumstances — exemption criteria.
• English preparatory programme: $8,000/year | Turkish preparatory programme: $3,000/year (deducted from programme tuition if you enrol).

Apply online: apply.istinye.edu.tr | Application calendar: Official calendar. Application fee: $0. Enrolling through 180 Degrees Academy is completely free and includes full personalised advisory support.

Official Links Everything you need in one place

Frequently Asked Questions What international students ask most