Private school fees rival those of top universities

Beyazıt Şenbük - ISTANBUL

Private schools in Türkiye have set jaw-dropping registration fees for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year, rivaling prestigious institutions around the world, such as Oxford, Harvard and Yale.

According to the Education Ministry’s regulation on private education institutions, the ceiling fee for intermediate classes is constrained by the PPI-CPI formula, resulting in a 56 percent increase. However, private schools retain autonomy in setting prices for grades 1, 5 and 9, leading to a wide disparity in costs across institutions.

With some institutions' fees nearing 1.5 million Turkish Liras ($46,350), the average educational cost that parents have to pay for their children in major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir ranges between 200,000 liras ($6,180) and 450,000 liras ($13,903). Moreover, additional costs such as lunch and VAT further put the burden on parents, with some schools exceeding 1 million liras.

Saint Joseph’s, for instance, unveiled a new registration fee of 675,000 liras, offering payment options of 712,000 liras in four installments or 750,000 liras in eight installments. Similarly, Saint-Michel French High School requires an advance payment of 539,000 liras, which increases to 549,000 liras when paid in full via credit card.

Some schools have emphasized the long-term benefits of their educational programs, arguing that graduates are accepted with scholarships to the world's best institutes, such as Oxford, Harvard, Yale and Columbia universities.

They also cite the financial forecasting reports prepared by the relevant institutions of the state regarding the changes in economic conditions to justify their fees.

Meanwhile, the said universities’ costs vary between 2.5 million to 3 million liras when additional expenses such as dormitory fees and food are added up.