Many people get confused when choosing between different types of high schools in Turkey. Choosing the appropriate school will have a big impact on the student’s grades, which will give him several options to choose from between the different universities, or the choice to settle with practicing the profession that he learned in school, as some high schools in Turkey form their students with skills that enables them to get a job and a decent living from it. For this we liked to shed some light on the types of high schools in Turkey and the differences between them.
Types of high schools in Turkey:
There are 13 types of high schools in Turkey, and each type has its advantages and disadvantages. We will talk you through each type in order to know the differences between them so you can easily choose the right high school for you.
1 – Science High Schools “Fen Liseleri”:
It is one of the best types of high schools in Turkey in terms of the rate of admission to universities, and this appears in many statistics that the country conducts to know the quality of education. The school had a score of 380 out of 500 of university acceptance rate in 2016.
Students of “science schools” are selected based on their potential in scientific academic subjects such as biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics. They are the kind of schools that aim to nurture a generation capable of using modern technologies, as they open the doors for innovation and creativity. English is the first foreign language in science high schools. The years of study in science high schools are 4 years after middle school.
2 – Social Sciences high schools “Sosyal Bilimler Lisesi”:
Social Sciences high schools also achieve high university acceptance rates among all high schools in Turkey, reaching 75% of the total number of students. These schools accept students who have potentials in the literary and social sciences fields, for the school to qualify them in order to obtain the highest grades. Among social sciences high schools’ goals, is to prepare unique and educated students that understand the meaning of democracy and the state in the correct sense.
Social sciences high schools in Turkey are distinguished by the fact that the number of students per class does not exceed 30 students, and the years of study are 4 years in addition to a preparatory year.
3 – Anadolu High Schools “Anadolu Lisesi”:
They’re the most widespread schools among all high schools in Turkey and the most numerous. Although, their acceptance rate in universities is less than the acceptance rate from high schools of science and social sciences, as the acceptance rate reaches about 50% of the total students. The decrease in the percentage is due to the recent transfer of ordinary high schools into Anatolian high schools, which led to a relatively low level of success.
Anatolia high schools are divided into 4 departments:
Department of Mathematics and Science “MF … Matematik-Fend”:
Which is similar to high school science classes in several countries,
Department of Turkish Language and Social Sciences “TS… Türkçe-Sosyal”:
It is similar to the high school literary classes in several countries,
Department of Turkish Language and Mathematics “TM… Türkçe-Matematik”:
This department is the students’ favourite.
Department of Foreign Languages “YD… Yabancı Dil”
There are common academic subjects between all departments, and specialization academic subjects for each department separately (heavy subjects).
4- Anatolian High Schools for Technical and Vocational Education “Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lises”:
They are schools that attract students who want to acquire a profession or a specific skill to enter the labour market. A student who is a graduate of these schools obtains a craft teacher’s certificate, a shop opening license, and holds a technical or artistic title, the student can also enter postgraduate schools within his field of specialization, in the case he wants to complete his studies. But the disadvantage of these schools is that the university acceptance rate is low, because the university entrance examination questions are set according to the studies of science high schools, social sciences high schools and Anatolia.
The graduates of these schools prefer either to work in a specific profession in which they obtained a license for, or completing studies at an institute for a period of two years after taking the “DGS” transfer exam. But the problem is that the seats allocated to government institutes are limited, and they will have one remaining option to join private institutes, which are not free of charge.
Anadolu High School includes many schools with different specializations such as:
- Anadolu Schools of Health Vocational Education “Anadolu Sağlık Meslek Liseleri”.
- Anadolu Vocational Schools for Girls “Anadolu Kız Meslek Liseleri”.
- Trade Vocational Schools “Ticaret Meslek Liseleri”.
- Anadolu Schools of Communication “Anadolu İletişim Meslek Liseleri”.
- Tourist Vocational High School “Turizm Meslek Liseleri”.
- Technical and vocational High Schools “Teknik ve Endüstri Meslek Liseleri”.
- Agricultural High School “Tarım Meslek Liseleri”.
- Anadolu Fine Arts High School “Anadolu Güzel Sanatlar Liseleri”.
- Sports High schools “Spor Liseleri”.
Types of programs taught in Anatolian Vocational High Schools:
- Common general culture.
- Lessons in technical and industrial fields.
- At least one foreign language.
The years of study in Anadolu Technical High Schools are 4 years.
5- Anadolu High Schools for Imams and Preachers “Anadolu İmam Hatip Liseleri”:
These schools aim to graduate qualified students to work in preaching and rhetoric and in teaching the Noble Quran and its sciences. The years of study in Anatolian High Schools for imams and preachers are 4 years.
Students can pass the university entrance exams according to their grades, students are also awarded additional grades upon registration in universities affiliated with the study of forensic sciences, such as the College of Divinity, or in one of the schools of imams and preachers that have been opened all over Turkey. However, the low university acceptance rate for school graduates is considered one of its important disadvantages, as its acceptance rate does not exceed 20% of the total students.
Curricula and departments in Imama Hatip schools:
Curricula: It is the same as the curricula taught in Anatolian schools in addition to Sharia sciences such as jurisprudence, Sunnah, hadith, the Noble Quran and other Sharia sciences
The departments: They are the same departments in Anatolia schools, in the scientific and literary departments, and the main department is mathematics and the Turkish language (Department of Mathematics and Turkish Language)
Foreign languages are taught in Anatolian schools for imams and preachers, such as English and German.
6- High schools with multiple programs “Çok Programlı Liseler”:
This type of high schools in Turkey is located in residential communities outside the borders of the province, as there is more than one program taught within one school, such as the Anatolian Technical program, Anatolian High School program, and Imams and Preachers Schools program, and each program has its specializations and divisions.
Graduates of schools with multiple programs are distinguished by the higher chance of being accepted in universities and postgraduate schools without taking an exam. Graduates are also awarded a unique certificate and additional grades upon entering colleges within the same academic specialization.
7- Military High School “Askeri Liseler”:
They are schools attended by students wishing to join the armed forces and serve the nation, and they are accepted under an examination by the scientific and literary department, which is a test supervised by a student selection center called “ÖSYS”. The set of questions asked in this exam are divided into:
- In the literary section, there are 30 questions in the Turkish language, and 15 questions in social sciences,
- And in the scientific section, 30 questions in mathematics are asked, and 25 questions in science,
And whoever passes the exam is entitled to take a second exam that includes a medical examination, and a physical strength test, and a psychological and technical test for those wishing to volunteer for the Air Force, and a music test for those wishing to volunteer for brass band officers. A final medical interview is done, then the results of admission are issued. The years of study in military high schools are 4 years, plus one preparatory year.
8- Night High Schools “Akşam Lisesi”:
They are schools that accommodate students who dropped out of high school for any reason. The night high schools in Turkey are divided into two types:
Public government schools.
Private government schools.
- Public government schools: studying hours begins after the end of the daytime hours for students in public schools, or on holidays and in this case, it is free of charge. The quality of education in night high schools is high, despite the low learning capacity.
- Private government schools: They are schools owned by people, and are distinguished by their high learning capacity, but they are not free of charge and tuition fees are paid monthly or annually.
Conditions of registration in night high schools in Turkey:
- No specific age is required, it is open for all age categories.
- The inability to enrol in high schools after finishing middle school.
- Leaving high school in a certain educational level.
9- Fundamental high schools “Temel Liseler”:
They are high schools with no educational quality, and one must think carefully before joining them. They are not proper schools, but rather described as institutes or courses.
10- International high schools in Turkey:
They are known of their interest of teaching in the English language, and of the percentage of university acceptance rate which is not as high as it is rumoured. However, the acceptance rate differs from one school to another and is considered better than university acceptance rates in Anatolian high schools.
Those who hold international high school certificates are distinguished by a good level of education, which enables them to register in foreign universities easily. However, their high tuition fees are considered as a disadvantage, as it doesn’t suit the quality of education in some of these high schools.
11- institutes “Kolejler”:
This type of school does not meet with students’ demand because of the low quality of education return to the tuition fees.
12- Open Education High Schools “Açık Öğretim Lisesi”:
It is a system based on remote study and it depends on publishing media, print, audio and visual media, the number of study years in open education high schools in Turkey is 4 years, and the studying process is divided into 8 semesters, it can be shortened to two and a half years only (5 semesters) for those over 18 years old, as they can enter the fourth semester directly.
These schools have the feature of being accredited by the Turkish Ministry of Education since 1992. Students in these schools are able to study an integrated curriculum for the high school diploma freely without commitment to the regular school hours, then they will be qualified to take an exam, which after passing it, the student can choose between different Turkish universities with all their specialties.
The certificate granted upon graduation is accreted by the Turkish Ministry of Education and recognized internationally, in the case that the student wishes to complete education abroad. Academic books for open education high schools in Turkey can be obtained from popular education centers or regular schools for free.
You can learn all about registartion in primary schools in Turkey in the following article:
HOW TO JOIN TO PRIMARY SCHOOL TURKEY AND 4 IMPORTANT TIPS
Read about high schools in Turkey in Arabic
