Admission Requirements for the Honors Programs

Honours Programmes Application Requirements

Application Requirements

Admission Requirements for the Honours Programmes

1. Academic Background and Eligibility

• Students must be applying to the Honours Programmes for the first time.
• İstanbul Bilgi University students: Students must have successfully completed all courses in the first two semesters and earned at least 60 ECTS credits. If a student has been exempted from any previous courses, the total number of ECTS credits required will be assessed accordingly.
• External transfer and vertical transfer students: Students must have successfully completed all courses in the first two semesters of the curriculum at their previous university and earned at least 60 ECTS credits. The content of the courses completed by these students will be reviewed by the Honours Programme Committee. Applications will not be accepted if the courses are deemed insufficient.

2. Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) Requirements

Applicants must have a minimum CGPA of:

• 2.70/4.00 for students applying to the Honours Programme corresponding to their current undergraduate programme (i.e. students enrolled in the Economics undergraduate programme applying to the Economics Honours Programme, or students enrolled in the Economics and Finance undergraduate programme applying to the Economics and Finance Honours Programme);
• 3.00/4.00 for all other applicants, including external transfer and vertical transfer students;
• 3.50/4.00 for Double Major applications.

3. Mathematics Proficiency

• Students must have passed the mathematics course(s) taken at İstanbul Bilgi University with an average grade of at least B-.
• Students who do not meet this requirement must have achieved an average grade of at least 70 out of 100 in their final-year high school mathematics courses and must score at least 60 out of 100 on the mathematics examination administered as part of the Preparatory Camp.

4. English Language Proficiency

Students must have achieved at least the specified minimum score in one of the following examinations:

• BILET Level 5 AT: 70 (The BİLET certificate must include the score obtained in the Level 5 AT examination.)
• IELTS: 6.0
• TOEFL: 87
• FCE: B
• CAE: C
• CPE: C
• KPDS/ÜDS/YDS/YÖKDİL: 75
• PTE Academic: 70

Note: TOEFL Home Edition and IELTS Indicator tests are not accepted. Examinations taken abroad must have been administered at an authorised test centre under supervised conditions.

5. Preparatory Camp, Examination and Interview

• The Preparatory Camp, consisting of Mathematics and Microeconomics courses, will be conducted online and asynchronously. Students must complete the courses within the specified period and participate in the Preparatory Camp examination and interview held at the end of this period.
• Participation in both the examination and interview is mandatory. Applications from students who fail to attend either the examination or the interview will be considered invalid.
• Students applying to an Honours Programme that does not correspond to their current undergraduate programme, students applying for a Double Major, and external transfer or vertical transfer students must receive a passing grade in both the examination and the interview.

6. Scholarship Application Requirements

• Students must have a CGPA of at least 3.50/4.00.
• Students must have been admitted to İstanbul Bilgi University with a 50% or 100% ÖSYM Scholarship.
• Supporting documents demonstrating financial need must be submitted.
• Students who wish to pursue a Double Major with an Honours Programme must first transfer to the Honours Programme.

External transfer and vertical transfer students are not eligible to apply for a scholarship. Scholarship applications are evaluated on the basis of academic achievement and financial need. Scholarship quotas are determined annually by the Board of Trustees.

7. Important Notes

• All courses in the Honours Programmes are compulsory. For students applying in the third, fourth, fifth or sixth semester, courses taken after the second semester cannot be counted as substitutes for courses in the Honours Programme curriculum.
• Students may pursue a Double Major with an Honours Programme through either of the following routes:
  • Applying to the Related Undergraduate Programme First: Students may first apply for a Double Major in the undergraduate programme associated with the Honours Programme and subsequently add the Honours Programme as their second major.
  • Transferring to the Honours Programme First: Students may first transfer to the Honours Programme and subsequently add their existing undergraduate programme as their second major.
• Before applying to an Honours Programme, all students considering a transfer should consult Student Support Services regarding whether their ÖSYM Scholarship status will be retained following the transfer. Transfer requirements and scholarship eligibility are determined annually by the Board of Trustees.
• Admission to an Honours Programme does not automatically constitute admission by the University of London (UoL). All applicants are also assessed separately by UoL.

Application Process

Students may apply to the programme by sending the following documents via email to econhonours@bilgi.edu.tr. Incomplete applications will be considered conditionally only if the applicant's first-year CGPA has not yet been finalised or if the applicant has not yet obtained the required English language proficiency score. Applicants must submit the outstanding documents by the specified deadline in order to complete the application process. Otherwise, their applications will be considered invalid.

• Statement of Purpose (at least one page and written in English)
• PROFILE document obtained from the Student Page (must be in English)
• COURSE STATUS document obtained from the Student Page (must be in English)
• ÖSYM Examination Result Documents
• English Language Proficiency Certificate
• If the requirement of passing the mathematics course(s) taken at İstanbul Bilgi University with an average grade of at least B- is not met, a document showing that the applicant achieved an average grade of at least 70 out of 100 in final-year high school mathematics courses (the document must be prepared in English)
• A photocopy of the Programme Change Form submitted to the Student Affairs Office
• Application Form
• If applicable, the Scholarship Application Form and supporting documents

Note: Students who wish to apply to an Honours Programme as their second major must first apply for a Double Major in the relevant programme. A photocopy of the Double Major Application Form submitted to Student Affairs must be included in the application file.

Important Dates

* Applicants who have not yet completed all required examinations (such as resit examinations or summer school examinations) may be granted conditional admission if deemed eligible. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application (successful/unsuccessful) by email.