Obtaining a Law Degree in Turkey
Students earning a Turkish law degree can expect to spend four years in undergraduate studies (Bachelor of Law or LLB) and two years in graduate school (LLM). Following successful completion of studies and one year of training at a law firm or other entity involved in legal work, students can be admitted to the bar without passing an examination.
The Turkish word for lawyer or solicitor is "hukukçu" or "avukat". Prosecuting and defense lawyers present cases solely to civil, administrative or criminal judges, who base decisions on personal convictions tempered by Turkish law. Judges are generally law school graduates who have practiced law for many years and have been elected to preside over general, judicial and criminal courts. There are no separate states in Turkey so it does not have a federal court system. Instead, all Turkish cities are guided by the same system of laws that is based predominantly on civil law.
Tuition Fees
State-run universities have lower tuition fees than private universities. Universities that offer undergraduate courses in English charge between $500 and $1500 USD for international students. Non-Turkish students opting for courses taught in Turkish will pay less--between $300 and $800 USD. As with all graduate programs in most countries where tuition fees are mandatory, Turkish and non-Turkish students can expect to pay at least $500+ more to take master's and doctorate courses. Students from Turkic countries or republics such as Bosnia, Macedonia, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are considered to be Turkish nationals and pay fees according to their citizenship. Once again, fees may vary from one institution to the other.