About
Koç University (KU) is a top-rated, non-profit private university located in Istanbul, Türkiye. Founded in 1993 under the guiding motto “creative teaching and participatory learning”, KU takes a student-oriented approach to their teaching, with a low student-faculty ratio of 10 – 1.Today, approximately 10,000 students are enrolled across 7 colleges.
KU has a compiled list of its rankings by criteria, including per subject and per region. The source data can be found at QS World Rankings.
Location
Located in the hills of Sariyer in the vibrant city of Istanbul, KU is surrounded by green forest and only 20 minutes away from the Black Sea. Despite its natural location, the university is only a short distance from the city centre of Istanbul, and a number of villages and scenic spots, with good public transport links within and outside the KU campus.
Level of competitiveness
Competitive **
The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.
Language of Instruction
All courses are taught in English.
Academic Calendar
Click here to view the KU Academic Calendar.
Courses
Please visit this page to view the course catalogue for exchange students.
Credits
KU students usually take five courses per semester (for an average of 15 KU credits which is equal to 30 ECTS).
Students must enrol on a full courseload: 30 ECTS per semester / 60 ECTS for the full academic year (equivalent to 60 Queen Mary credits per semester / 120 Queen Mary credits for the full academic year).
Grading
KU uses a 0 – 100 grading scale, with 67 being the lowest passing score. More details can be found on this webpage.
Queen Mary student feedback
Blog posts on Queen Mary Global Bloggers
Accommodation
All international undergraduate students are permitted to apply for student dormitories. The university aims to provide a space for all students who submit their application in the required period.
Dormitories are singe-sex buildings with plenty of resources.
Dormitories are paid for annually; fees can be found on this webpage.
Cost of living
You can find more general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Istanbul here.
Please consult the estimated minimum and maximum cost of living figures for this destination country available in our “Estimated Costs of Living” document available on our Finance page.
Support services
KURES is KU’s counselling service, providing psychological counselling and preventative resources, including workshops and information packs. More information can be found on the KURES website.
As a current Queen Mary student you will be able to find a summary sheet for this partner university on our QMplus page, with an overview of the local student support services available on the following topics: specific learning differences, physical impairments, sensory impairments, long term medical conditions, autism spectrum conditions, mental health and wellbeing difficulties, special accommodation provision, non-emergency health care, emergency services, harassment and trauma and suicide prevention.
Student life
KU is a campus-based; students can find many useful conveniences on campus, including a grocery store, hairdresser, full-service bank and bookshop.
KU has a fantastic range of sports facilities available for free, including a football field, gym, tennis courts, 2000-seater sport hall, indoor swimming pool and an ice skating rink.
There are nearly 80 student clubs and societies active at KU. Links to social media and contact information can be found via the PDF on this webpage.
