Application Requirements

The application criteria on the web pages of the programs or departments may not be up-to-date. The criteria specified on this page and the official pages of the METU Registrar's Office are binding for applications. If you need help understanding the criteria, you can contact our student affairs staff by phone or email.

Who can apply

• For M.S. programs applications, a bachelor's degree or awaiting graduation degree from bachelor,
• For Integrated Ph.D. programs, a bachelor's degree or awaiting graduation degree,
• For Ph.D. programs, an M.S. (with thesis)/M.A. (with thesis) degree or awaiting graduation degree from M.S. (with thesis)/M.A. (with thesis)

Middle East Technical University (METU), Graduate School of Informatics Documents required from international applicants:

All applications should be made through the university’s online application platform at: https://oibs2.metu.edu.tr/Ms_Phd_Applications/

1. Application Fee Receipt:

• Application fee information can be found at https://oidb.metu.edu.tr/en/fees link. Foreigner candidates should pay the application fee via bank transfer and they should upload their receipt to terminate their application. The candidates who are Turkish citizen should should pay the application fee by credit card. Application fee must be paid separately for each program before terminating your application.
• Applicants who intend to apply to more than one program have to pay the application fee for each program.
• The applicants whose application are not evaluated due to missing criteria or document or who want to withdraw their application within the application period can get their application fee back. Those applicants should apply to the Graduate School of Informatics Institute with their completed “Ödeme İadesi Başvuru Formu” form (the repayment form) and their bank receipts. Signed form and the bank receipt should be sent to the student affairs personnel (e-mail or by hand).

2. English Proficiency Exams:

• Applicants must have a valid English language proficiency exam score. KPDS, ÜDS, and YDS exams are not accepted. During the application, a photocopy or the Internet print of the English exam scores must be uploaded to the relevant section of the online application form.
• Accepted English language proficiency exams are listed https://oidb.metu.edu.tr/en/equivalence-table-english-language-exams-recognized-metu-undergraduate-and-graduate-students.
• English proficiency documentation is not required from nationals of countries whose official language is English and who have graduated from an English-medium institute of higher education.
• TOEFL-IBT Special Home Edition Exam taken after April 14, 2022 is not valid. However, TOEFL-IBT Special Home Edition Exam taken on or before April 14, 2022 can be used provided that no more than 2 years have passed since the exam date.
• IELTS Academic Exam taken after December 23, 2022 is not valid. However, IELTS Academic Exam taken on or before December 23, 2022 can be used provided that no more than 2 years have passed since the exam
• Please click here for more information related to the METU Proficiency exam.
• METU-EPE exams are held during the graduate application period. Exam results are generally announced before the application period ends. METU-Erasmus and METU-Mevlana exams are not accepted for the application.
• English proficiency exam results are only valid for two years after you take the test. Expired tests will not be accepted. Exam scores that are valid dated during the application period will be also acquired during the registration. Please remark on your exam date, whether it is valid during the application period. Applicants who were registered in a METU graduate program with no more than four-semester break (the present semester is included) can apply to the graduate programs with the English exam scores they submitted before.

3. Graduate Exams:

• All programs in the Graduate School of Informatics require Graduate Exam scores. To apply for a graduate program, applicants must have valid ALES or GRE exam results that meet the minimum criteria of the programs.
• A photocopy or the Internet print of the ALES or GRE exam scores must be uploaded to the online application platform.
• ALES scores are valid for 5 years following the announcement of exam results.
• GRE scores are valid for 5 years.
• Please do not forget to enter your ALES score with 4 digits after the comma to the related section in the online application platform.
• Please pay attention to the exam date, which must be valid during the application period. METU applicants who were registered in a graduate program with no more than one-semester break can apply to the graduate programs with ALES scores that they submitted before. This exception is only valid if the old ALES score of the applicant meets the minimum criteria of the program requirements. Those applicants do not need to take the ALES exams again. Also, for doctorate program applicants who graduated from METU Master programs within one semester can submit their ALES/GRE results used during the Master’s program application if the exam results meet the minimum criteria of the program they are applying.
• Click here to reach GRE conversion chart.

4. Reference Letters:

• To apply for METU Graduate School of Informatics graduate programs, two reference letters are required. It is generally recommended that you take references from faculty members (including your thesis advisor) who know your academic skills and experiences and from your managers if you are/were working in the industry.
• On the online application platform, the applicants themselves should provide the information including name/surname, occupation, and email addresses of their referees. The link for submitting a reference letter will be sent to the e-mail address of the referees. The link will be active only for 48 hours. Applicants can check the status of references from the online application platform. If no letter has been provided by the referee, you can renew the request or provide the details of another referee on the online application platform until the deadline.
• Reference letters can be in English or Turkish.
• Reference letters must be sent through the application system. Reference letters not sent through the system will not be accepted.

5. Transcript(s):

• Please obtain transcript(s) (in English), notarized or attested, concerning your undergraduate and graduate study (in progress or completed, if any) you have undertaken. For students or graduates of METU, a copy of the transcript(s) obtained through “https://student.metu.edu.tr/” are accepted.
• Transcripts replicated by photocopying the originals are not accepted. You must upload the valid jpeg/pdf versions of your transcripts to the related section of the online application platform.
• A copy of the transcript which is obtained from the Registrar's Office is accepted for METU graduates.
• If you are applying for a Ph.D., both undergraduate and graduate transcripts are required.

6. Letter of Intention:

• To apply for METU Graduate School of Informatics graduate programs, the intent letter must be submitted to the online application platform. In this letter, it is advised to summarize your CV and your experience relevant to the program you intend to apply. Please indicate your goals regarding your postgraduate study, what you want to do, the subject or subjects you are interested in, and any preliminary preparation for the intended subject (s), if available. Also, please specify your awards, scholarships, etc. if available. You are also welcome to specify any achievements regarding your subject of study, such as article abstracts, posters or published articles that have been included in foreign or domestic congresses, if available.
• The letter of intent should be written into the textbox in the online application form. If the given space is not sufficient, then applicants can upload a pdf version of their intention letter.

7. How to apply?:

• Application to all METU Graduate School of Informatics programs will be made online in the link provided below:
  https://oibs2.metu.edu.tr/Ms_Phd_Applications/
• The applications are only received via the online application system. Apart from this, candidates do not need to send their application documents to the Graduate School of Informatics. The applications which are not submitted through the online system will not be considered
• Log in to the MS_PhD Applications and fill out the required fields in the Application Form.
• After you submit the Online Application Form, the application process will be completed. Please be aware that after you submit your application, you can no more edit your application. You can check your application status on the Main Page by logging in with your email address and password. https://application.metu.edu.tr
• After finalizing your application, you are encouraged to check out the website of the Graduate School of Informatics for the announcements of interview dates, and any other last-minute information.: www.ii.metu.edu.tr

8. Other information:

• For Cognitive Science Ph.D. program applications, a maximum of 4 pages of assignment, term project, thesis, conference paper or a published article, either single- or co-authored, is required and must be uploaded.One of the reference letters must be obtained from a faculty member of the current or previous educational institution. "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)" are expected to be checked for applications to the program.
• A Recognition Letter is needed and must be uploaded for non-Turkish citizens who graduated from a university outside Turkey (Foreign nationals: http://denklikbasvuru.yok.gov.tr/denklik/yu-denklik-basvuru-form).The Recognition Letter must be submitted DURING the application process.
• An Equivalence Letter is needed only forTurkish citizens who studied in any university outside Turkey(Turkish citizens: https://www.turkiye.gov.tr/yok-denklik-basvurusu).The Equivalence Letter must be submitted DURING the application process.
• The documents which are required under the “8. Other” part should be uploaded to the intent letter section in the online application platform.
• One of the reference letters to be submitted by the candidate for the PhD applications of the Department of Information Systems must be from the master's thesis advisor.
• A letter of intent, the content of which is specified in the link, is required for applications to graduate and doctorate programs to the Department of Information Systems.
• A letter of intent, the content of which is specified in the link, is required for applications to graduate programs to the Department of Data Informatics.
• Letter of intent is required in Multimedia Informatics applications (only one pages). Candidates must also indicate the area of specialization (MMI-M or MMI-G) for which they are applying.
• Candidates who will apply to the Software Management Master's Program, who have not graduated from Computer Science or Engineering Departments, are expected to have industrial experience. Registered students pay tuition fees according to the number of credit hours of the courses they are enrolled in each semester. The amount of tuition fee per credit hour is determined at the beginning of each academic year. Loan fees can be found on the link.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If there is any conflict on this page, please be aware that METU general instructions will be valid.

Last updated: 18.04.2024