Diploma recognition: in Russia and Türkiye (YÖK equivalence)

This page is intended for two groups: those who want to study at a university in Russia and use their diploma in Türkiye, and those who want to study or work in Russia with a Turkish diploma. In Türkiye, equivalence for associate, bachelor's and master's degrees is granted by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), while equivalence for doctorates is granted by the Interuniversity Board (ÜAK). In Russia, recognition of foreign diplomas is carried out by the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Рособрнадзор). Below, you will find the steps for both directions, 2026 fees, additional requirements in fields such as medicine, and common mistakes.

• Recognition: YÖK's acceptance that a foreign university and its program are authorized to award an academic degree.
• Equivalence: determining which field and degree in Türkiye are equivalent to a diploma obtained from a recognized school.
• A diploma from an unrecognized school will not be granted equivalence. Therefore, perform the check before enrollment.
• For universities in Russia, a School Recognition Certificate can be obtained through e-Government. The requirement to apply by petition applies only to schools in the USA, the Netherlands, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Ukraine.
• If your school does not appear in the e-Government list or the system warns you to "apply to the Presidency," fill out the School Recognition Petition Form and send it to YÖK by hand or by post. No appointment is required.
• No fee is charged for the school recognition letter. There are also foreign institutions not recognized by YÖK; be sure to perform the query.

1. Collect the documents (list below). The originals of Russian documents must bear wet signatures and seals.
2. Have them translated into Turkish. The translation must be certified by a Turkish notary or a Turkish foreign mission.
3. Submit a preliminary application through e-Government: enter your information on the "Foreign Diploma Equivalence Preliminary Application" screen, upload the documents, print and sign the form, and make an appointment.
4. Pay the fee (2026: TRY 1,250). Write "Name, Surname, Equivalence Application" in the description.
5. Go to YÖK on the appointment day. You may go in person or with your officially authorized attorney. Your documents will be checked and returned to you.
6. Track your file through e-Government. Stages: preliminary review, review, missing documents, Scientific Field Advisory Commission, commission, level and competency assessment (SYBS), printing of the equivalence certificate.
7. Result: the decision is notified in writing to the address you declared. Since 2024, equivalence certificates have been issued electronically; you obtain the certificate with the code sent to your e-mail through the e-Government Document Verification screen.
8. Preliminary review: YÖK asks the Russian university about your studies through its representatives and calculates your time spent in Russia using your entry and exit records.
9. Doctorate: doctoral equivalence is handled by ÜAK. For a ÜAK application, obtain a school recognition certificate from YÖK.

• signed online preliminary application form and signed Consent Declaration form
• original Turkish identity card or identity document
• original diploma or graduation certificate and its certified Turkish translation
• original certified transcript showing all courses, credits and grades, and its certified Turkish translation
• if courses were transferred from another school, that school's transcript and translation
• test certificate in the language of the program (below)
• original passports used during the study period or certified copies of the entry and exit pages
• entry and exit record obtained from e-Government or the provincial police department
• if you have dual citizenship, a document showing that you lived in Russia during the study period, such as a rental agreement or bill
• fee receipt and color copies of all documents, including all pages of the passports
• Additional requirement for a master's degree: bachelor's diploma (if obtained abroad, YÖK bachelor's equivalence certificate), two copies of the thesis, one printed and one electronic, and certified Turkish translations of the thesis cover and abstract

• If the language of your program is a language for which ÖSYM administers an examination, a document with a verification code showing at least 60 points in that language is required.
• ÖSYM also administers the electronic YDS (e-YDS) in Russian. Therefore, graduates who studied in Russian must submit the Russian e-YDS result or the result of an examination considered equivalent by ÖSYM.
• You may submit the document within 2 years at the latest after the application. If you do not submit it, the application will be rejected.
• Examinations taken from home ("home edition") are not accepted. International examinations held in Türkiye are considered valid if they were held in state university buildings.

• You must be physically present in Russia during the study periods for a period equivalent to the duration of full-time education in Türkiye.
• During the missing-document stage, YÖK may request an official document showing that you received face-to-face (full-time) education at the school and a student visa covering your study dates.
• Those who graduated from health-related fields in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years must also submit a school document showing how much of their internship training was conducted face-to-face and how much online, together with its certified Turkish translation.

• YKS ranking: if you completed high school in Türkiye and your school was not among the top 1,000 in at least two of the accepted global rankings, the following requirements apply for equivalence in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and law:
  • you must have taken the YKS in the year you began studying in Russia
  • you must have achieved the ranking range required in Türkiye for that program
• This rule does not apply to those who enrolled in the program or preparatory class before the change.
• Direct equivalence: direct equivalence is granted for universities ranked in the top 400 in at least three of the rankings accepted by YÖK (Times Higher Education, QS, ARWU, CWTS Leiden) in the year you began your studies.
• Level Determination Examination (STS): if the commission finds deficiencies, it may require course completion, the STS, clinical practice or an internship.
  • The STS for medicine and dentistry is administered twice a year, and the STS for pharmacy and teaching once a year by ÖSYM.
  • A score of at least 40 out of 100 is required to pass.
  • For medicine, proof of success in examinations such as USMLE Step 3 or PLAB Part 2 may be accepted instead of the STS.
• Course completion: you choose three state universities. For a bachelor's degree, you must complete it within a maximum of 4 years (8 semesters).
• Pharmacy: a certificate for a one-month internship at a pharmacy registered with the Chamber of Pharmacists in Türkiye is required.

• Diploma or graduation equivalence application and re-examination: TRY 1,250
• Petitions requesting information and documents: TRY 300
• "Procedures Are Ongoing" letter (military service deferment, job application): free if requested with the application, TRY 300 if requested later (see O1.4 for military service)
• School recognition letter: free
• Payment: YÖK Strategy Development Department, Ziraat Bank, IBAN TR45 0001 0017 4505 3864 1950 57
• Fees are non-refundable; they will not be returned even if the application is rejected.
• Duration: YÖK does not specify a fixed period. The duration varies according to the country, program and correspondence.
• Missing documents: complete the reported deficiencies within 30 days. If you do not, the application will be returned; you may request additional time with a reasoned petition.

• In Russia, apostilles for educational documents are affixed by the regional administration unit authorized to certify educational documents.
• In Russia, the apostille fee is 2,500 rubles per document (Article 333.33 of the Russian Tax Code, text dated August 4, 2026).
• YÖK requires the Turkish translation to be certified by a Turkish notary or a Turkish foreign mission.
• Turkish missions in Russia certify only translations by sworn translators who have taken an oath at that mission. You can find sworn translators on the "Find a Translator" screen at konsolosluk.gov.tr.

• In Russia, a foreign diploma is recognized through mutual recognition agreements, the list of foreign institutions maintained by the Russian Government, or, for diplomas not covered by these, through an expert examination (экспертиза) by Рособрнадзор (Federal Law 273-FZ, Article 107).
• Application: it may be submitted in writing or electronically, including through Gosuslugi. For an electronic application, the original documents are sent in person or by registered mail with return receipt.
• Fee: 6,500 rubles (Article 333.33 of the Russian Tax Code, text dated August 4, 2026).
• Result: recognition is entered in the federal register and you are given an electronically signed register extract. No fee is charged for this extract.
• Universities: some major universities listed in the law may recognize foreign diplomas themselves for their own student admissions. Ask the university to which you will apply (see R5.1).
• Document requirement: documents to be recognized must be apostilled and translated into Russian (Article 107/13).
• Apostille in Türkiye: university and high school diplomas are administrative documents. Apostilles are issued by governorates and district governorates; apostilles for judicial documents are issued by the presidencies of judicial commissions. Turkish missions have no authority to issue apostilles.
• Recognition does not exempt you from the general requirements for admission to employment or education in Russia (Article 107/12).

• YÖK Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services — school recognition and diploma equivalence
  • Address: Council of Higher Education, Üniversiteler Mah. 1600. Cad. No: 10, 06800 Bilkent / Ankara
  • Telephone: +90 850 470 09 65
  • E-mail: denklik@yok.gov.tr
• Interuniversity Board (ÜAK) — doctoral equivalence
  • Web: uak.gov.tr
• Turkish missions — certification of Turkish translations and powers of attorney. Consular switchboard of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow: +7 495 994 93 59. For others, see O1.1.
• Turkish Education Consultancy in Moscow — information for Turkish students studying in Russia
  • Address: 7. Rostovski Pereulok No: 12, 115127 Moscow
  • Telephone: +7 499 245 67 35 · E-mail: moskova@meb.gov.tr

• Checking YÖK recognition after enrolling at the university.
• Failing to prepare the Russian e-YDS or equivalent examination certificate despite having studied in Russian.
• Failing to keep old passports and entry and exit pages.
• Applying with a color printout of the diploma or an uncertified translation.
• Applying to YÖK for doctoral equivalence; doctoral equivalence is handled by ÜAK.
• Failing to take the YKS ranking requirement into account after completing high school in Türkiye and studying medicine.

• Is my Russian diploma automatically valid in Türkiye? No. You must obtain equivalence from YÖK for associate, bachelor's and master's degrees, and from ÜAK for a doctorate.
• Can I apply from Russia? The preliminary application is submitted through e-Government. On the appointment day, you must go to YÖK in person or with an officially authorized attorney (see O1.3 for the power of attorney).
• How long does equivalence take? YÖK does not specify a fixed period. Correspondence with the Russian university may extend the process.
• Will a diploma obtained through distance education be considered equivalent? YÖK requires physical presence in the country during the study period. Equivalence becomes more difficult if you cannot document face-to-face education.
• Do I have to have my Turkish diploma recognized in Russia? Yes, if your Russian employer or school requests it. Some universities perform recognition themselves; ask the institution first.

• e-Government – YÖK School Recognition Certificate Query
• e-Government – Foreign Diploma Equivalence Preliminary Application
• e-Government – Equivalence Application Query
• YÖK – School Recognition Petition Form (PDF)
• YÖK – Consent Declaration Form (PDF)
• ÖSYM – Foreign Language Equivalencies
• Federal Law 273-FZ Article 107: recognition of foreign education in Russia
• Consular translator search