Application and Administration

Application and Admission

For admission to the Ph.D. Program in Psychology, applicants are required to have a master’s degree (with thesis Among the admitted students, candidates who are continuing their education and are expected to graduate must successfully complete their studies and submit their graduation documents at the time of registration at the University. Candidates who fail to meet this requirement will have their admission and registration rights revoked. Applicants are expected to meet the minimum requirements set by the Özyeğin University Senate for application to the PhD program in Psychology.

The students whose bachelor’s or master’s degree is in a field other than Psychology, if deemed necessary by the Admissions Committee, may be required to complete a Scientific Preparation Program before starting the coursework and/or take a customized set of complementary courses designed specifically for the student.

The criteria to be considered in the evaluation of applications for the program are as follows:

1- Official Transcripts:

• A minimum undergraduate graduation GPA of 2.80/4.00 or
• A minimum master's graduation GPA of 3.40/4.00

2- English Language Proficiency:
The validity period of the exam results is determined based on the date of university enrollment.
(a) A minimum score of 90 on the TOEFL IBT, or**
(b) A minimum score of 75 on the YDS/eYDS, or
(c) A minimum score of 75 on the YÖKDİL.

*The validity period is 2 years for TOEFL and TRACE, and 5 years for other examinations.

**Article 6/3d of the Inter-University Council’s (ÜAK) “Directives for Determining Equivalency of Foreign Language Examinations” stipulates that “If the examination is administered in Turkey, it must be administered in a State University building only.”
****Applications of candidates who do not have foreign language proficiency will not be processed. Admission is not possible with the requirement of English preparatory education.

3- ALES/GRE Score:
The validity period of the exam results is determined based on the date of university enrollment.
(a) ALES (Academic Personnel and Graduate Education Entrance Exam): A minimum score of 75 (Equal Weight), or
(b) GRE (Graduate Record Examination): A minimum score of 156 in the Quantitative section, or
(c) GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test): A minimum score of 593 in the Quantitative section.

The validity period for ALES and GRE results is 5 years.

* The ALES requirement is not applicable to applicants with a PhD, a doctor of medicine (MD), a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD), a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM), a doctor of dental medicine (DMD), or a doctor of fine arts (DFA) (as per Article 5/1b and 16/1 of YÖK’s Rules and Regulations for Graduate Programs). These applicants are assumed to have obtained the minimum score of 75.

*The validity period is 5 years for both ALES and GRE. 

4- Two Letters of Recommendation
5- Letter of Intent
6- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
7- Interview 

APPLICATION, EVALUATION, AND ADMISSION PROCESS

Prospective students may be requested to prove the accuracy of information and documents submitted at the time of application or the University may directly investigate the accuracy of such information and documents. Should it be determined that there are inconsistencies in information and documents provided by prospective students, such students are denied admission, even if they are previously admitted; and their enrollments are revoked, even if previously completed.
Application documents are kept by the University; and under no circumstances are returned to prospective students, regardless of the result of evaluation.

As a result of preliminary evaluations conducted based on the application information and documents submitted, prospective students may be invited for an interview or a written exam.  Failure to attend the interview or examination will disqualify prospective students from further consideration.  

Applications are evaluated by an admissions jury established by the respective Graduate School Executive Board. The admissions jury submits its recommendation regarding the admission of prospective students, and the final decision is made by the Graduate School Executive Board.

Admitted international students must enter Turkey with their student visas in order to be eligible to enroll in the University. Students may apply to the local Turkish Embassy/Consulate in their country of residence (or in the nearest country) for a student visa. Students must bring their letter of acceptance issued by the University with them when applying for a student visa.  For more about student visa, please click here.

For international students who have completed their undergraduate or graduate studies abroad, necessary applications for the recognition of their diplomas will be submitted by our University.

Students are admitted to graduate programs pursuant to YÖK’s “Rules and Regulations for Graduate Programs”.

APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

All documents must be either in Turkish or English. If the original documents are in a language other than Turkish or English, notarized translations into Turkish must also be included in the application file.

1. Application Form: Online application form filled out truthfully, accurately and completely.
2. Diploma: A duly certified copy of the Bachelor's and Master's diplomas. Graduation certificates obtained through the e-Government system are also accepted. Candidates who have not yet graduated at the time of application must upload a document indicating their expected graduation date.
3. Diploma Equivalency Certificate (For Turkish citizens who studied abroad): Turkish citizens who studied abroad may enroll in the University with their Certificate of Equivalence obtainable from the Higher Education Council of Turkey. Prospective students whose Certificate of Equivalence has not been issued yet may attach their Certificate of Recognition. Students are responsible for submitting their Certificates of Equivalence to the University as soon as they are issued.
   Certificate of Recognition: For international prospective students who studied abroad, necessary applications for the recognition of their diplomas will be submitted to the Recognition Unit by our University.
4. Transcript: Transcripts issued by all higher education institutions the applicant has so far attended or graduated from, showing all the courses taken and grades achieved at the respective institutions.  If the transcript does not provide any description about the grading system, separate documents must be provided for the grading system of the respective institutions.
5. Exam Score Report for Graduate Studies: A copy of the exam score report for graduate studies listed in the application requirements. The score reports must still be within their validity period at the time of university enrollment in order to be considered.
6. English Proficiency Examination Score Report: A copy of one of the English Proficiency Exam Score Reports listed in the application requirements. The score reports must still be within their validity period at the time of university enrollment in order to be considered.
7. Letter of Reference: At least two letters of reference.  Letters of reference must be obtained preferably from the prospective student’s professors and/or previous/current employer. Once you enter your reference’s email address and contact details into the system and complete your online application in the system, an automated email message will be sent to your reference from our email system to inform your reference about how to upload the letter of reference.
8. Letter of Intent: Letter written by the prospective student to explain his/her personal or professional goals.
9. Additional Documents for International Students: Duly certified copies of the pages from the passport that bear the photograph and identity information. The original copy of the passport must be presented at the time of application. 
10. Additional Information: Applicants may submit any other additional information/documents that they think should be considered (special circumstances regarding their academic and professional career).