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YÖS 2026 exam dates for students in the UK
The centrally run TR-YÖS and the exams individual universities set are two different things with two different calendars. Both take applicants sitting A-levels in the UK, and both want translated school documents.
Two kinds of YÖS
TR-YÖS is administered centrally by ÖSYM, with application windows and exam sessions published in its annual calendar and test centres in a number of countries. Separately, many Turkish universities run their own entrance exam or accept international qualifications directly. A candidate in London may need one, the other, or neither, depending on where they are applying.The current figures are published on the official page linked from this update; check them there, because they change without notice.
The document that takes longest
It is not the exam paperwork; it is denklik. A student educated in the UK needs MEB lise denklik — recognition of A-levels or the equivalent as a Turkish high school leaving qualification — before a university will enrol them. That is applied for through a provincial directorate of education or the education counsellor's office at the London consulate, and it rests on certificates and school transcripts translated into Turkish. Start it before the exam, not after the offer.
Names and grades
Awarding-body certificates print the name as it appears on the passport used at registration, and a mismatch with the Turkish nüfus record stops an application at the counter. Check it early. Our page on applying to Turkish universities covers the routes, MEB lise denklik covers recognition, and the guide for UK students applying to Turkish universities puts the two in order.