Application Requirements

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/

Informatics Institute Application Requirements

1. Application Fee Receipt:

The application fee is 250 TL for Turkish nationals and 55 U.S. dollars for foreign nationals. 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 here.
Native speakers (i.e., those candidates who are the citizens of a country where English is among the native or official languages of their country) can select the "I am a native speaker" section in the application form. Candidates who do not meet one of these conditions must submit a valid dated English exam document.
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. Check the exam types and minimum scores of the graduate exams designated by programs and the Graduate School of Informatics below:
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 use the following table for the conversion of the ALES and GRE Scores.

ALES

GRE (Quantitative)

135

137

139

144

149

153

157

161

165

166

168

100

170

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.

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.

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://oibs2.metu.edu.tr/Ms_Phd_Applications/
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.
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.
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 for Turkish 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.

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

Last updated: 07.12.2020