Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services
Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services
Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services
Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1.What is the Foreign Higher Education Institution Recognition Certificate?
It is a document that indicates whether a foreign higher education institution is recognized by the Council of Higher Education. It is issued on institutional level, and it does not replace the Diploma Equivalence Certificate.
2. In which circumstances should I get the Foreign Higher Education Institution Recognition Certificate?
-When starting to a higher education study at a foreign higher education institution,
-When applying to postgraduate studies at one of the Turkish higher education institutions, except for the "health" programs (for foreign nationals),
- When transferring foreign higher education credits to a Turkish higher education study,
- When submitting for the use of Social Security Institution,
- When applying for recognition of "Ph.D./Associate Professorship" degrees to the Presidency of the Inter-University Council.
3.Who can apply for the Higher Education Institution Recognition Certificate?
The Applicant or a representative can apply to receive the document.
4. How should I apply to receive for Foreign Higher Education Institution Recognition Certificate?
a) An applicant who has a Turkish Republic Identity Number can receive the document via the public portal “e-Devlet/e-Government (https://okultanima.yok.gov.tr/)” without paying a service fee.
b) If recognition/equivalence applications are from the Higher Education Institutions of the Netherlands, Ukraine, USA and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), then it is required to apply directly to the Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services (DRES) at the Council of Higher Education.
Applications can be made via CoHE postal address. CoHE Postal Address is “Üniversiteler Mh., 1600. Cad. No:10, 06800 Çankaya / ANKARA, TÜRKİYE”.
The relevant link for the sample form of Foreign Higher Education Institution Recognition Petition is below.
For English Form, please visit
https://denklik.yok.gov.tr/documentFiles/1770794814798.petition-sample-for-recognition-of-heis.pdf
For Turkish Form, please visit
c) If you do not have access to e-Devlet/e-Government, you should come to the front office of the Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services (DRES) at CoHE. The other option is that you can send your request about the Foreign Higher Education Institution Recognition Certificate after filling in the Foreign Higher Education Institution Recognition Petition Form either in Turkish or in English to the CoHE Postal Address or denklik@yok.gov.tr.
5. What is the service fee for the Foreign Higher Education Institution Recognition Certificate application?
There is no service fee.
6.What does equivalence mean?
The confirmation of the equivalence of Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree diplomas received from a foreign higher education institution which is recognized by the Council of Higher Education with Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree diplomas received from the higher education institutions in Türkiye in terms of achievement corresponding to each educational level.
7. What is the Diploma Equivalence Certificate?
Diploma Equivalence Certificate refers to both academic and professional qualifications, facilitates access to further academic studies and to the labor market. Access to postgraduate studies for the "health" programs at Turkish Higher Education Institutions is only possible with this Certificate.
8. Where should I apply for equivalence of my diploma?
a) For associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees ⇨ You should apply to Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services (DRES) at the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) (https://denklik.yok.gov.tr/en).
b) For professorship, associate professorship, and doctorate degrees ⇨ You should apply to the Inter-University Council (https://www.uak.gov.tr/)
c) For primary, secondary and high school education ⇨ You should apply to the Ministry of National Education (https://www.meb.gov.tr/).
9. Who can apply for the Diploma Equivalence Certificate?
Applications for diploma equivalence certificates should be made directly by the applicant or the applicant’s legal representative. Postal applications are not considered officially.
For Applicants who have Turkish Republic Identity Number ⇨ Please visit
For foreign nationals without Turkish Republic Identity Number ⇨ Please visit
https://denklik.yok.gov.tr/en/announcements-detail/80
10. Can I apply for the Diploma Equivalence Certificate even if I don’t live in Türkiye?
If you have a power of attorney in Türkiye, you can apply for diploma equivalence. You can contact with the Turkish Embassy in the country you live in and you can get information about online power of attorney. When you receive online power of attorney, somebody on behalf of you can follow the process in Türkiye.
On the other hand, since the equivalence applications can only be made through e-Devlet/e-Government portal (https://www.turkiye.gov.tr/yok-denklik-basvurusu), applicants who have foreign nationality must have the Foreigner Identity Number (Yabancı Kimlik Numarası/YKN). The YKN should be requested from the Ministry of Interior, Presidency of Migration Management (https://www.goc.gov.tr/).
https://denklik.yok.gov.tr/en/announcements-detail/80
After doing online application, the holder of the applicant or the person who has the power of attorney need to apply personally to the Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services (DRES) at the Council of Higher Education (CoHE).
11. What is the service fee for the Diploma Equivalence Certificate?
1250 Turkish Lira (TRY)
The Bank Information for service fee:
Ziraat Bank IBAN: TR45 0001 0017 4505 3864 1950 57/Account Number: 5386419-5057
12. If I lost my Diploma Equivalence Certificate, is it possible to get a new one?
Diploma Equivalence Certificate is issued only once.
If you lost your certificate, firstly, you should publish an announcement in the newspaper that your Diploma Equivalence Certificate is void. Then, you should apply to the front office of the Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services (DRES) at the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) with a petition or you should send your request to the CoHE postal address. Finally, a formal letter is given to you with information about your diploma equivalence by the Council of Higher Education (CoHE). There is a service fee 300 Turkish Lira (TRY).
The Bank Information for service fee:
Ziraat Bank IBAN: TR45 0001 0017 4505 3864 1950 57/Account Number: 5386419-5057
General petition sample for English use is in the link below:
https://denklik.yok.gov.tr/documentFiles/17533639761.sample-for-general-petition.pdf
General petition sample for Turkish use is in the link below:
https://denklik.yok.gov.tr/documentFiles/1752869465593.genel%20dilek%C3%A7e.pdf
13. What is the process of equivalence application?
There is a detailed information in the link below.
https://denklik.yok.gov.tr/en/page/616
14. What is the equivalency status of graduates of master's degree programs in the Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic?
All individuals who have completed a master's degree program in the Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic are subject to the equivalency process, regardless of their nationality.
15. Are graduates of programs in the Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic that admit students through a Special Talent Examination required to apply for equivalency?
All graduates of programs in the Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic that admit students through a Special Talent Examination, including Turkish citizens, are subject to the equivalency process.
16. What is the most important point that graduates of universities in the Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic should be aware of?
The primary criterion in diploma equivalency evaluations is whether the program from which the applicant graduated at a higher education institution in the Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic was included in the relevant ÖSYS Guides published by ÖSYM. Applications from graduates of programs not listed in the Guides are rejected.
17. How can I find out the decisions made regarding my application?
Decisions regarding the application are formally served on the applicant at the address provided in the application.
18. What should be done if the notification is not received?
An update of the correspondence or notification address, or the re-service of the notification, may be requested by submitting a petition.
19. How can contact information be updated?
Applicants may request the update of their previously declared contact information by submitting a petition to the Council of Higher Education (Recognition and Equivalence Services Department) either by post or in person.
20. I have a diploma received from a Turkish University. What is the recognition/equivalence procedure of this diploma in a foreign country?
You should contact with the related country’s Enic-Naric Center.
Please visit https://www.enic-naric.net/
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