1.Where are applications to your graduate programs submitted?
Applications are submitted online via https://bilsis.hacettepe.edu.tr/oibs/ina_app/. (Click here for the Prospective Students Application and User Guide.)
2.When are applications submitted?
Application and interview dates are announced for each academic semester in the "Announcements" and "Academic Calendar" sections of our website. Candidates are advised to follow these dates.
3.Which departments' graduates are eligible to apply to your programs?
Our master's and doctoral programs accept students from all departments.
4.What program options are available at your Institute?
There are two departments at our Institute. The Department of Demography offers master's programs with thesis and doctoral programs. The Department of Social Research Methodology offers master's programs with thesis, non-thesis master's programs, and doctoral programs. The announcements for the relevant semester specify the programs that will admit students and their quotas for that semester. Therefore, candidates are advised to follow the announcements on our website.
5.How many programs can I apply to?
Candidates may apply to a maximum of 3 (three) programs.
6.What is the medium of instruction in your graduate programs?
The medium of instruction in our master's and doctoral programs is English.
7.Which documents are required for application?
An undergraduate/master's diploma or graduation certificate, transcript, ALES (or equivalent GRE/GMAT) score document, foreign language score document, “Candidate Registration and Examination Entry Form”, photograph, and two reference letters are required. Please review the "Application Procedures" page for the current and complete list of documents. In addition, candidates are advised to follow the announcements published on our website during application periods regarding the required documents.
8. Are graduation certificates and transcripts obtained through the e-Government (E-Devlet) platform accepted for applications?
Yes. Graduation certificates and transcripts obtained through e-Government (E-Devlet) are accepted for applications. The documents must be complete, current, and legible.
9. Which grading system should I use to enter my grade point average? How should I convert my grade point average on the 4-point scale?
Applications are accepted according to the 100-point grading system, and a grade on the 100-point scale must be entered into the system. If your transcript includes the 100-point equivalent determined by your university, that grade is used. If your transcript is based only on the 4-point system and does not include its 100-point equivalent, only YÖK's (Yükseköğretim Kurumu - Turkish Council of Higher Education) 4-point-100-point conversion table must be used for the conversion. Applications made using conversion documents prepared by you or issued separately from the transcript by your university are not accepted; even if you pass the examination, you will not be registered. In addition, a diploma supplement is not accepted in place of a transcript.
10. I have not yet graduated; may I apply?
Candidates who are eligible to graduate but have not yet received their graduation certificates must enter their cumulative grade point average for the most recent semester if the graduation grade point average is not available on the transcript they uploaded. If the candidate becomes eligible for student registration, the grade point average uploaded to the system during the application will be taken into consideration, and the graduation grade point average calculated later will not be valid.
11. I hold a doctoral degree; is an ALES document required for the application?
No. Pursuant to the “Regulation Amending the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training” dated 14/04/2020, an ALES document is not required from applicants holding a doctoral degree in graduate applications. If you do not have an ALES score, the system automatically assigns a score of 70. If you have an ALES score higher than 70 within its validity period (5 years from the examination date), you may enter this score.
12. Which foreign language documents and minimum scores are required for application?
YDS, e-YDS, YÖKDİL, CPE, and TOEFL documents (foreign language examination equivalencies accepted by ÖSYM) are accepted for applications. The minimum scores are:
75 for YDS, e-YDS, YÖKDİL,
75 for CPE,
90 for TOEFL (Internet Based).
13. What score types and minimum scores are required for ALES, GRE, and GMAT?
65 for ALES (Equal Weight) or
485 for GMAT or
149 for GRE (Equal Weight).
Note: For applications made with GRE-GMAT Score Documents that may substitute for ALES, the score-type conversions specified in the "ALES-GRE and ALES-GMAT conversion table" shall apply.
14. How long are examination score documents valid?
YDS, e-YDS, YÖKDİL for 5 years, TOEFL for 2 years, CPE indefinitely, ALES, GRE, and GMAT are valid for 5 years.
15. From whom may reference letters be obtained? In what ways may reference letters be submitted?
The reference letter must be obtained from two faculty members who know the candidate's educational and academic capacity and submitted in a sealed envelope to the relevant Department Secretariat before the examination. In addition, candidates are advised to follow the announcements published on our website during application periods regarding the required documents.
16. Are candidates who graduated from departments where the medium of instruction is English required to submit a foreign language score?
All candidates applying to our programs, except native English speakers, are required to submit a foreign language score.
17. Which additional documents are required from foreign nationals or candidates educated abroad?
Foreign national candidates are required to submit a passport and its certified Turkish translation. Candidates who completed their education abroad must also submit a YÖK Certificate of Recognition. Since the medium of instruction in our Institute's programs is English, a TÖMER certificate is not required from foreign national candidates. An equivalency certificate may also be requested from citizens of the Republic of Türkiye who completed their education abroad.
18. What must I do to apply under the quota for relatives of Martyrs/Veterans?
Candidates applying under the quota for relatives of Martyrs/Veterans must upload the Martyr/Veteran Relative Certificate to the system during the application. In addition, candidates are advised to follow the announcements published on our website during application periods.
19. What happens if the information I declare in my application is incorrect?
The documents uploaded to the system must be legible and complete. If an incorrect or false declaration is made regarding the academic average, ALES score, foreign language score, or uploaded documents (even by 0.1 points), or if an application is submitted with missing documents, the candidate will not be registered as a student even if they pass the general achievement assessment examination.
20. If I come from a different field, am I required to undertake scientific preparation?
A scientific preparation program may be applied to candidates coming from outside the field to complete the fundamental courses considered deficient. This is evaluated by the general achievement assessment jury established by the relevant department according to the candidate's undergraduate/master's background.
21. Is there an entrance interview/examination? How is it conducted?
Yes. Candidates who meet the application requirements are invited to the general achievement assessment examination (interview). The date and location of the interview are announced separately on our website after applications have been received.
22. Which documents do I need to bring to the interview?
The candidate must print 1 copy of the Candidate Registration and Examination Entry Form generated by the system following the online application, sign it, and bring it to the examination. Candidates are required to bring their national identity card or identification document to the examination. If the candidate's application documents contain incorrect or missing documents, the application will be returned to the candidate through BİLSİS so that the necessary corrections can be made. Therefore, candidates are responsible for regularly checking their email addresses throughout the application process and following the notifications sent to them.
23. What are the quotas?
The quotas announced for the programs offered under each department vary in the fall and spring semesters and are published on the "Quotas" page of our website. In addition, candidates are advised to follow the announcements published on our website during application periods.
24. Where can I access the curricula, course contents, and ECTS information for the programs?
The curricula, course contents, learning outcomes, and ECTS information for the programs are available in the Students - Course Catalogue/ECTS Information Package section of our website.
25. Do students have the opportunity to participate in research projects as scholarship holders?
Scholarship opportunities may be available within the projects conducted at our Institute. You may follow the project announcements on our website for current information.
26. Where do your graduates work?
Our graduates are employed at higher education institutions, international organizations, and in projects associated with these entities, as well as civil society organizations and public agencies. They may also secure positions at research firms and think tanks.
27.What are the areas of activity of your Institute?
The activities of our Institute are conducted in two complementary dimensions:
Education: Master's and doctoral programs are conducted in the Department of Demography and the Department of Social Research Methodology; in addition, activities such as courses, Demography Conferences, the Türkiye Demography Conference, and Article Days are organized. In addition, the courses within the Demography Education Series prepared in cooperation with the UNFPA Türkiye Office are accessible through our Institute's YouTube channel.
Research: Nationwide field studies and TÜBİTAK 1001 projects are conducted; research is carried out in cooperation with national and international institutions (UNFPA, public institutions, universities). Our research results are shared with public institutions, international organizations, academics, and civil society organizations through meetings, reports, and policy briefs, and the datasets produced (for example, TDHS datasets) are made available to researchers.
For detailed information, please review the "Research", "Projects and Activities", and "Publications" sections of our website.
28.What research is conducted at your Institute?
Since its establishment, our Institute has conducted nationwide field research on the demographic structure of Türkiye. Our main research areas are as follows:
Türkiye Demographic and Health Survey Series (TDHS): Nationwide surveys repeated every five years since 1993, covering fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, and reproductive health, as well as further analysis studies based on these surveys.
Migration research: Research on Syrian migrants living in Türkiye, asylum seekers living in satellite cities, Afghan international protection applicants, foreigners legally residing in Türkiye, and displaced populations.
Domestic violence against women research: The Türkiye Surveys on Domestic Violence Against Women conducted in 2008 and 2014.
Maternal mortality and reproductive health: The National Maternal Mortality Study, qualitative research on maternal deaths, and thematic analyses on reproductive health.
Other research and TÜBİTAK 1001 projects: The Türkiye Youth Survey, Levels of Demographic Integration and Differentiation of the Roma Population in Türkiye, Child, Early and Forced Marriages, impact assessment studies, and similar research.