Language Proficiency Requirement

English Language Proficiency Requirement for  English-Medium Programs

All students who are enrolled in English-medium programs at Özyeğin University must satisfy the English Proficiency requirement.  The English language proficiency of all new students who are enrolled in English-medium programs is tested through Phase 1- English Placement Test (PLACEMENT) and Phase 2- English Proficiency Examination (TRACE), which are administered by the School of Languages at the beginning of the year of admission. Students who pass the examinations are kept exempt from the English Preparatory Program. These students directly matriculate in their undergraduate programs. Students who fail to achieve the minimum passing grade in the examinations are placed in the English Preparatory Program based on their performance in the examination. Students who failed after studying in the English Preparatory Program for an academic year (two semesters) may be placed in Turkish-medium undergraduate programs (including evening programs) which are equivalent (or, if not available, close) to the undergraduate programs in which they were enrolled while attending the Preparatory Program, with no scholarships within the next two academic years. The application and placement procedures of these students are completed by the Student Selection and Placement Center (OSYM). Application and placement requirements are published in the guide “Procedures for the Placement of Students Expelled from Mandatory English Preparatory Programs Due to Academic Failure to Turkish Medium Programs” issued by the Student Selection and Placement Council (OSYM) at the beginning of each academic year.

English Language Proficiency Requirement for  Turkish-Medium Programs

The English Preparatory Program is optional for the Turkish-medium Undergraduate Law and Undergraduate Architecture Programs.  Students who opt to attend the English Preparatory Program must submit their requests via email to student.services@ozu.edu.tr after they complete their university enrollment. These students must sit the English Placement Test (PLACEMENT) and English Proficiency Examination (TRACE) administered by the University in order to have the University determine their current level of English and the appropriate level for them in the English Preparatory Program. Among the students who are enrolled in Turkish medium programs, those who satisfy one of the following conditions or those whose English proficiency level is determined to be B1 or B2 may be kept exempt from the ENG 103/104 courses, which are mandatory undergraduate courses, and may register for English-medium elective courses.

Requirements for Exemption from the English Preparatory Program

• To have one of the following national or international exam score reports:

Article 6, clause 3, sub-clause d of the Directives on the Determination of Equivalence of Foreign Language Examinations issued by the Student Selection and Placement Center (OSYM) stipulates that international foreign language proficiency examinations administered in Turkey must be administered in buildings owned by state universities in order for the examination to be deemed equivalent and maintain its equivalence. 

For such scores to be deemed acceptable, students must present their original exam results, and these results must still be valid at the time of their submission to the University. For a test result to be valid, the validity period of the respective exam should not have expired since the administration of the exam. The School of Languages reserves the right to investigate or reject the exam results it deems suspicious. Students who have a valid exam score report must fill out the Application Form for Exemption from the English Language Preparatory Program and send it for preliminary evaluation to student.services@ozu.edu.tr from their OzU email addresses with the extension ozu.edu.tr. Applications will be reviewed and concluded by the School of Languages.  The School of Languages reserves the right to investigate or reject the exam results it deems suspicious.

• To have attended an English-medium secondary education institution in an English-speaking country within at least the last three years and graduated from this institution within at most the last two years. (These students might still be requested to take the OzU English Proficiency Examination in order to determine their English level, if deemed necessary.) Students who satisfy this condition must explain their status in a petition and submit it with their secondary school diplomas, transcripts, and the copy of the page in their passports which bears the entrance and exit stamps of the respective country affixed within the past three years to student.services@ozu.edu.tr from their OzU email addresses with the extension ozu.edu.tr.  Applications will be reviewed and concluded by the School of Languages.
• To have attended an English-medium secondary education institution in Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zambia where English is the official language within at least the last three years and graduated from this institution within at most the last two years.
• To have obtained at least the minimum passing grade in Özyeğin University’s TRACE examination within the last two years. Students who satisfy this requirement do not need to submit a separate application.

Turkish Proficiency Requirement

International students registered in fully or partly Turkish-medium programs must prove their proficiency in Turkish. The Turkish proficiency requirement is not applicable to students who completed their secondary education in Turkish-medium institutions in Turkey over the past three years. Students who obtained at least B1 (Intermediate) level score in the Turkish Proficiency Examinations administered by TÖMER or any other examination centers accredited by the Higher Education Council are deemed to have fulfilled the Turkish proficiency requirement provided that their exam results are still valid.