Koç University’s Summer Exchange Program in 2023 aims to create a rewarding summer experience for students from both partner and non-partner universities.

As a non-profit foundation university in İstanbul since its establishment, Koç University has become a leading university in Türkiye, distinguished by notable contributions to the elevation of education, knowledge, and service, domestically and beyond. Koç University ranks among the top research universities in Türkiye in terms of number of articles per academic member, which indicates the importance attached to research, and success of academic members and research programs.

Summer Exchange Program at KU offers a broad range of courses in English, both on undergraduate and graduate level taught by an international team of experienced lecturers.

Students who are enrolled in a partner institution as a full-degree-seeking student are waived from the tuition fee for this program. Students of non-partner institutions need to contact registrar@ku.edu.tr  to learn about the free-mover procedures.

KU’s 2023 Summer School will run between 3 July and 20 August, 2023 and the program for the Orientation Days will be announced soon.

Students who are enrolled in a partner institution as a full-degree-seeking student are waived from the tuition fee for this program. However, they need to selected and nominated by their home university. They cannot directly apply.

Students of non-partner institutions need to contact registrar@ku.edu.tr to learn about the free-mover procedures.

To see if yor home university and KU are partners, please view our Institutional Partners List.

If you are enrolled in a partner institution as a full-degree-seeking student, you can be nominated by your home university on https://kuapp.ku.edu.tr, thus you will not need to pay the tuition fee. Please consult the Exchange Programs Office in your university to learn more about your university’s internal summer abroad procedures.

Once you are nominated, you will receive an e-mail with your log-in credentials. With this e-mail, you can immediately begin the application process and upload the required documents. Once the application period is over, all applications will be reviewed and the applicants will be notified both through e-mail and on the application portal.

Required application documents for partner university students are as follows:

• 1 passport size photo
• Copy of English proficiency exam or a letter from your study abroad advisor confirming that your English level is minimum B2 (CEFR)
• Sealed and approved official transcript with a mininum CGPA 2.20/4.00 for Erasmus countries and 2.50/4.00 for Global Exchange countries.
• Identification Certificate / Passport

You can send an e-mail incoming@ku.edu.tr for further information.

Course Terminology

Course Load, ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) & KU Credits

Course load indicates how many credits students take per semester. KU students usually take one or two courses during summer (3 KU credits is  usually -but not always- equal to 6 ECTS). Please note that there may be exceptions in credit equivalency. So, students are responsible to check the course syllabus and KUSIS during course planning and enrollment to see the ECTS worth of the course.

Course Codes 

Course time-tables are coded as B1, B2, B3, A1, A2, A3, etc. B stands for 75 minute long courses and A stands for 50 minute courses. For instance:

A1: 09:30-10:20    A5: 13:30-14:20
A2: 10:30-11:20    A6: 14:30-15:20
A3:  11:30-12:20   A7: 15:30-16:20
A4:  12:30-13:20   A8: 16:30-17:20

Courses coded 100-499 indicate UNDERGRADUATE courses.
Courses coded 500-699 indicate GRADUATE courses.
Any course codes greater than 699 indicate doctorate courses.

Grading System

The dates for course planning and enrollment will be shared with you via e-mail by OIP once announced by the Registrar’s Office.

Please note that course planning and course enrollment are two separate process. You can start planning your courses on KUSIS before your arrival. However, course enrollment is made during the Orientation Week with the help of mentor student.

As Koc Univesity, we provide you with the freedom to take courses from any programs regardless of your major as long as it is also approved by your home university. However, due to the prerequisites and reserved capacity, you may not take all the courses you plan to. Therefore, we kindly ask you to get approval from your home University to select more courses than you normally need in order to be on the safe side in terms of credit requirements.

Incoming exchange students for Summer 2023 semester will attend an orientation program before the classes start. Orientation dates and the orientation program for Summer 2023 will be announced soon. During the orientation, students will have the chance to get to know KU and its services better and socialize with other students.

At Koç University, each incoming exchange student is assigned to a mentor student who is a full-degree-seeking student at KU. Mentors act as a guide and resource person to assist in transition to life at KU throughout the semester. The mentors go through a rigorous selection, interview and training process before being assigned to a group of students. Mentors are reliable, hard-working and culturally-aware individuals. They take incoming exchange students’ well-being into consideration at all times and are always willing to help.

• KOLT (Koç University Office of Learning and Teaching)
• KURES (Koç University Guidance and Psychological Services Center)
• Career Development Service