Study in Türkiye from Ghana
To study in Türkiye from Ghana you apply for an education-purpose (D-2) visa at the Turkish Embassy in Accra, then for a student residence permit after arrival. Public bachelor's tuition is US$1,600–2,400 per year, living costs TRY 12,000–35,000 per month, and the permit document fee TRY 964. The Accra study-visa fee is not published.
Is Türkiye a good choice from Ghana?
Türkiye sits outside the EU and outside Schengen, with 208 recognised higher education institutions and 336,366 international students in 2023/24. For a Ghanaian applicant the case is cost: US$1,600–2,400 per year at a public university and US$750–2,000 per year for a public master’s, against US$16,300–22,000 per year at foundation (vakıf) universities.
The main intake is September, and some universities also admit in February. The filter is not money but recognition: some universities admit on your WASSCE, others require an entrance exam you must sit before you apply. Teaching defaults to Turkish, English-taught programmes are found one by one, and a Turkish-medium place adds a preparatory year. Our Türkiye study guide covers the national rules and studying abroad from Ghana the home-side ones.
Entry with the WASSCE
Each university sets its own bar. METU accepts WASSCE or WAEC results from Ghana at a maximum aggregate of 15 across five subjects, three of them programme-related. Bilkent requires grade B3 in six subjects, three related to the programme. Yeditepe lists B3 in three subjects, naming Ghana directly. Sabancı sets C4 in at least three subjects, and Bahçeşehir accepts WAEC Senior Secondary results at 50% overall, verified through waecdirect.org.
Your home benchmark is three core credits (English, Core Mathematics, Integrated Science) and three electives at A1–C6, with an aggregate of 24 or better. Hacettepe, Istanbul University and ITU do not accept the WASSCE on its own and require TR-YÖS, SAT, ACT, GCE A-Level or IB. A Turkish-medium degree needs 10 months at a TÖMER centre. See our universities in Türkiye guide.
The student visa from Ghana
Applications go in person to the Turkish Embassy in Accra, after an online pre-application at visa.gov.tr; the honorary consulate in Kumasi does not handle visas. There is no outsourced visa centre. No student visa fee for Ghana is published: the Turkish consolidated fee table covers e-Visa nationalities only, and Ghana is not e-Visa-eligible for study.
Accra-specific processing is not published either; general guidance is to apply a month before travel, and the post-arrival permit has a legal maximum of 13 weeks. Biometrics are taken; medicals are required and TB screening varies. Ghana issues no apostille: certificates are authenticated by WAEC or the Ministry of Education, legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, then by the Turkish Embassy. Read the Türkiye student visa guide and proof of funds.
Money: what a first year costs
A public bachelor’s is US$1,600–2,400 per year, a public master’s US$750–2,000 per year, medicine at Istanbul University US$10,000 per year, and foundation universities US$16,300–22,000 per year. Living costs TRY 12,000–35,000 per month.
Private residence-permit insurance is TRY 4,800–5,800 per year; the state GSS alternative costs TRY 1,981.80 per month. Add TRY 964 for the permit document. Ghanaians are eligible for Türkiye Bursları, which covers tuition, accommodation, insurance, a flight, a Turkish year and a monthly stipend, and assigns your university and department. See cost of studying in Türkiye.
From Ghana to Türkiye: key facts
| Where to apply | Turkish Embassy Accra, in person, after online pre-application via visa.gov.tr |
|---|---|
| Who takes the application | The embassy or consulate itself |
| Apply without leaving Ghana | Yes |
| Visa or permit fee | TRY 964 |
| Processing time (national guide) | up to 13 weeks |
| Refusal rate | Not published |
| School certificate | WASSCE |
| Certifying documents | Consular legalisation — no apostille |
| TB test | Depends on nationality |
| Scholarships open to Ghanaian nationals | Türkiye Bursları |
Last verified 2026-09-09 against official sources (goc.gov.tr).
What works in your favour
- Public tuition is low: US$1,600–2,400 per year at bachelor’s level and US$10,000 per year for medicine at a public flagship.
- Ghana’s WASSCE is named directly on several admissions lists: Yeditepe at B3 in three subjects, Sabancı at C4 in three, METU at an aggregate of 15 across five.
- Türkiye Bursları is open to Ghanaian nationals and covers tuition, accommodation, insurance and a stipend — the only realistic route to a fully funded Turkish place.
- Graduates may stay 12 months on the post-graduation short-term residence permit.
- IELTS is sat in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi, so language evidence is straightforward to obtain.
The honest downsides
- No study visa fee is published for Ghana, and no Accra processing time either, so the consular stage cannot be planned with a firm number or date.
- Hacettepe, Istanbul University and ITU reject the WASSCE as a stand-alone qualification, so a place there means sitting TR-YÖS, SAT or ACT first.
- There is no national deadline: each university sets its own, and METU’s window for 2026/27 ran from 1 June to 12 July, so expect a similar June–July window for 2027/28.
- The permit carries no work rights: a separate work permit is required, and bachelor’s students cannot apply before year one is finished.
- The legalisation chain is three-deep, and no fee schedule for the ministry step is published.
Our core guidance is free, funded by university commission: we test your WASSCE against a named programme's published bar, say when TR-YÖS or SAT is unavoidable, and vet every document before submission, including the Accra legalisation chain. Running the whole file for you is our optional paid Premium Placement service. We never sell guaranteed admission or guaranteed visas; if an agent offers one, read [how to spot a fake agent](/spot-a-fake-agent/).
How to apply to study in Türkiye from Ghana
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Match your WASSCE to a university's published bar
METU accepts a maximum aggregate of 15 across five subjects, Yeditepe B3 in three subjects with Ghana named, Sabanci C4 in three, and Bahcesehir a 50 percent overall pass.
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Register for TR-YOS or SAT where the WASSCE is not accepted
Hacettepe, Istanbul University and ITU require an entrance exam. Register for TR-YOS with OSYM or sit SAT, ACT, GCE A-Level or IB, and check the two-year score validity.
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Apply to each university separately
Turkiye has no national portal. Apply in each university's own international admissions system and track its calendar; the mainstream undergraduate window runs June to July.
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Prove language and accept the offer
Submit IELTS or an accepted alternative for an English-taught programme, or plan the Turkish preparatory year for a Turkish-medium one, then accept the place and collect the acceptance letter.
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Run the Ghanaian legalisation chain
Have certificates authenticated by WAEC or the Ministry of Education, legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Accra, then legalised by the Turkish Embassy.
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Lodge the D-2 visa application in Accra
Pre-apply online at visa.gov.tr, then attend the Turkish Embassy Accra in person for biometrics with your acceptance letter, funding evidence and health insurance policy.
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Buy compliant health insurance before travel
Missing or non-compliant insurance is a listed refusal ground. Buy a policy meeting the SEDDK minimum coverage limits that took effect on 1 April 2025.
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Apply for the student residence permit after arrival
Pre-apply at e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr within the entry visa's validity, then attend the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management appointment and pay the document fee and duty.
Frequently asked questions
A public bachelor's is US$1,600–2,400 per year and a public master's US$750–2,000 per year; foundation universities charge US$16,300–22,000 per year. Budget TRY 12,000–35,000 per month to live on, TRY 4,800–5,800 per year for residence-permit insurance and TRY 964 for the permit document. The Accra visa fee for study is not published.
At several, with a published bar. METU accepts a maximum aggregate of 15 across five subjects, Bilkent B3 in six, Yeditepe B3 in three with Ghana named, Sabancı C4 in three and Bahçeşehir a 50% overall pass. Hacettepe, Istanbul University and ITU do not accept it alone and require TR-YÖS, SAT, ACT, A-Level or IB.
In person at the Turkish Embassy in Accra, after an online pre-application at visa.gov.tr; the Kumasi honorary consulate does not handle visas. No Accra-specific processing time is published; general guidance is to apply at least a month ahead. The post-arrival residence permit has a legal maximum of 13 weeks.
There is no fixed sum and no blocked account. Sufficiency is judged case by case on bank statements (yours or a sponsor's) or a scholarship confirmation letter, usually a guarantor's letter with the last three months of bank statements or salary slips. Unverifiable funds is a listed refusal ground, so evidence the source of the money as well as the balance.
No, because Ghana is not a Hague Apostille Convention party and issues none. This is the common misunderstanding. Documents go through legalisation instead: authentication by WAEC or the Ministry of Education, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Accra, then the Turkish Embassy. No fee schedule for the ministry step is published on its own site.
Usually yes for an English-taught programme. No national floor exists, so the university decides: Bilkent requires IELTS 6.5 at bachelor's and 6.5 at master's level, while METU tests proficiency after enrolment. IELTS runs through the British Council in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi, with TOEFL iBT at several Accra and Kumasi centres.
Türkiye Bursları is the one that matters. Ghanaian nationals are eligible, and it covers tuition, accommodation, health insurance, one return flight, a Turkish language year and a monthly stipend, paying TRY 9,000 per month at doctoral level. It places you itself rather than letting you choose freely. Erasmus Mundus is also open, but funds joint European programmes rather than Turkish degrees.
The post-graduation short-term residence permit can be extended by a second year, taking it from one to two years in total. That follows a YÖK circular to universities dated 2 August 2026 and a migration-management legal opinion of 29 July 2026. No consolidated public regulation has appeared, so treat it as announced and in rollout, and note it still grants no automatic work rights.