Scholarships and Internships: State, University and Work-Based Routes

For international (non-TRNC, non-Turkish-citizen) students, the state-funded scholarship system in North Cyprus is easy to misread — most of it is reserved for TRNC citizens. This page starts with the route that actually applies to you, then covers the wider landscape.

The TRNC State Scholarship for Foreigners (art. 31)

Under the Scholarship Regulation (Higher Education and External Relations Department Law 12/1990, art. 12), article 31 defines a scholarship specifically for third-country nationals — it explicitly excludes both TRNC citizens and Turkish citizens.

• Can cover tuition and/or dormitory fees and/or a monthly stipend, depending on the award.
• Capped at 200 scholarship holders at any given time; a new award opens up only when a recipient graduates or their scholarship is discontinued.
• Selection is made by a Ministry committee; the stated criteria are academic success, strong social engagement, and ability to represent North Cyprus.
• Applications go through YOBİS at the start of the term.
• If a payment is made to a scholarship holder who does not hold a valid residence permit, that payment is reclaimed.

This is the scholarship worth checking first if you're a non-Turkish, non-TRNC international student. Ask your prospective university's international office whether they nominate students for it and how.

Why the other state scholarships don't apply to most international students

The Regulation also defines a Support Scholarship, a State Scholarship, and a Merit Scholarship — but all three are reserved for TRNC citizens:

• Support and State Scholarships (art. 5, art. 10) require TRNC citizenship, a family permanently resident in North Cyprus, and — for the State Scholarship — an uninterrupted final year of secondary school (grades 9-12 for the State Scholarship) completed in North Cyprus.
• The Merit Scholarship (art. 11) has no citizenship-independent economic test, but its academic gate — top 5 nationally in the central placement exam score type, or top 20 by combined A-Level score — effectively targets the same TRNC-schooled applicant pool.

If you're a Turkish citizen who completed grades 9 through 12 without interruption at a North Cyprus school, a different route opens: under a supplementary protocol signed in 2015 between the Turkish and TRNC education ministries, such students can register at TRNC universities with the same rights as TRNC citizens. This condition comes from a YOBİS information note, not the protocol's own text — confirm the exact requirement and the "uninterrupted" test with your school and the Ministry of National Education before relying on it.

University entrance-exam scholarships

Separately from all of the above, every TRNC university runs its own scholarship entrance exam, usually in June, with resit exams sometimes offered over the summer. Eligibility: TRNC citizens, and non-citizens who completed four full years of secondary school without interruption at a North Cyprus school.

Two institutions sit outside this system: Atatürk Teacher Academy (no tuition fee; a separate entrance exam tied to teacher demand), and Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus (METU NCC) together with Istanbul Technical University TRNC — neither runs a scholarship entrance exam; both admit via national placement-exam results (ÖSYM) and GCE/A-Level results.

These university scholarships are tuition discounts run by the university itself, not the Ministry-run scholarships above — check the individual university's official scholarship page for current rates and conditions.

Award amounts: a percentage of the minimum wage

Where the Regulation applies, scholarship amounts are not fixed lira sums — they're set as a percentage of the gross minimum wage (art. 16), recalculated once a year against January's minimum wage:

• Support Scholarship, undergraduate at a TRNC university: up to 40%; with a GPA of 3.50 or above, up to 50%; at the Merit-Encouragement threshold (GPA/CGPA 3.75+ or 94+ on a 100-point scale), 50%.
• Support Scholarship, undergraduate at a Turkish or third-country university: up to 50% (reduced by any Türkiye Scholarships / YTB amount received).
• Thesis-based master's: 65%. Doctorate: 80%. Medical specialty training: 150%.
• Merit Scholarship (undergraduate): 60%. State Scholarship and State Merit-Encouragement Scholarship: 55%.

Current gross monthly minimum wage: ₺60,618.00^{7 Jul 2026 ↗}, in force from 2026-01-01^{7 Jul 2026 ↗}. Multiply by the percentage above for the current lira value.

Payments are made in the last week of each month, with a temporary hold at term/year end pending academic review — successful students are then paid retroactively (art. 15). Continuation requires progressing to the next year with a GPA/CGPA of at least 2.50 (art. 12).

The Turkish-funded route

Turkey-side scholarship programmes for TRNC-based study (such as Türkiye Scholarships / YTB) sit outside this page's scope and outside what our North Cyprus sources verify. If you're exploring that route, confirm current eligibility and amounts directly with the relevant Turkish institution's official source.

Mandatory internship

Except for maritime-related programmes, the mandatory internship runs at least 30 and at most 45 working days, aimed at developing professional knowledge and skills, and can take place at public- or private-sector organisations in North Cyprus or abroad. Every 20 working days of internship earns at least 6 ECTS credits, and internship completion is recorded on the diploma supplement.

Students already working and insured (SSK) in the relevant sector may apply for an exemption if they've accumulated at least the minimum required internship period — the approval process varies by university, so confirm with your academic adviser.

Paid student work is a separate track

The mandatory internship is distinct from taking a paid job. Paid work requires a student work permit: the employer applies to the Department of Labour, the permit can only be obtained from the student's second year onward, and — under the Work Permits for Foreigners Regulation (art. 23) — students may not work more than 4 hours a day or 24 hours a week, with overtime prohibited. Night clubs, casinos and betting shops are barred from employing student permit holders. Full requirements, documents and hour limits are covered in the Student Work Rules guide.

Related guides

• Studying at a TRNC University: From Application to Enrolment
• Cost Planning for Parents
• Student Work Rules