This page compares the education systems of Turkey and South Korea.
Education System Overview
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| System Type | Public-private mix; Governance model: Centralized, with national education policy, curricula and major regulations administered primarily through the Ministry of National Education. | Public/private mix; mixed governance combining national policy and standards with decentralized local education administration. The Ministry of Education operates at the national level, while 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education oversee local education. [Korea MOE] |
| Governing Body | Ministry of National Education (MEB) for school education and the Council of Higher Education (CoHE / YÖK) for higher education. | Ministry of Education (MOE); 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education; and local Offices of Education. [Korea MOE] |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | 3.1% of GDP (2022, latest value in the World Bank indicator sourced from UNESCO UIS). [World Bank] | 5.4% (2022). [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | Approximately age 6 to age 18, covering 12 years of compulsory schooling. | Approximately age 6 to age 15, covering six years of elementary school and three years of middle school. [Korea MOE] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | 12 years | 9 years: 6 years of elementary education plus 3 years of middle school. [Korea MOE] |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Optional; the adjusted net enrollment rate for ages 3–5 was 49.63% in 2024/25. [MEB] | Optional; enrollment among children aged 3–5 was 95.7% in 2023. [OECD] |
| Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years) | 4 + 4 + 4 (Primary + Lower Secondary + Upper Secondary). | 6 + 3 + 3: six years of elementary school, three years of middle school and three years of high school. The broader system is commonly described as 6-3-3-4 when the standard four-year university stage is included. [Korea MOE] |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | — | 14.9% Vocational / 85.1% General (2023). [OECD] |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | September | March. The first semester begins in March. [Korea MOE] |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | June | February, following the second semester and winter vacation period. [Korea MOE] |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | 36 weeks | — |
| Instruction Days per Year | 180 days in the 2025/26 school year. | At least 190 days per school year for elementary, middle and high schools, subject to limited statutory reductions in specified circumstances. [Korean Law] |
Grading System
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Primary/Secondary Grading Scale | A 0–100 scale is commonly used in secondary education; primary-level assessment also incorporates competency and developmental evaluation. | Assessment varies by school level. Middle-school achievement commonly uses A–E achievement levels. For students entering high school from 2025, the former nine-grade internal ranking system was replaced by a five-grade system under the 2028 university admissions changes. [Korea MOE] |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | Commonly 0–100 and/or 4.0 GPA systems depending on the institution, with ECTS used for credit recognition and transfer. | Institution-specific; 4.5 and 4.3 GPA scales with letter grades are commonly used. |
Language of Instruction
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | Turkish | Korean is the main language of instruction in the national school system. |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | Greek and Armenian may be used in relevant minority schools alongside Turkish; other living languages and dialects can be offered through approved elective courses. [MEB Eurydice] | — |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | 90.9% among students enrolled in public or private formal schools in 2024/25. [MEB] | Primary: approximately 98% / Secondary: approximately 72% (2024). [World Bank] [World Bank] |
| Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 tuition for public primary and secondary schooling. | $0 standard tuition for public elementary and middle education; nationwide free high-school education was extended to all grades from 2021, covering admission fees, tuition, school operation support fees and textbooks within the statutory scheme. [Korea MOE] |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes, with public schools operating nationwide. | Yes. Public schools operate nationwide under the metropolitan, provincial and local education administration system. [Korea MOE] |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | 9.1% among students enrolled in public or private formal schools in 2024/25. [MEB] | Primary: approximately 2% / Secondary: approximately 28% (2024). [World Bank] [World Bank] |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | — | — |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Number of International Schools (Total) | 261 international schools under the official classification for 2023/24. [MEB Eurydice] | 45 government-listed foreign/international K–12 institutions: 38 foreign schools, 3 foreign educational institutions at elementary/secondary level and 4 Jeju international schools. [ISI] |
| Number of IB World Schools | 127 schools in the current IB directory for Türkiye. [IB] | 134 schools are listed by the International Baccalaureate school finder for the Republic of Korea. [IB] |
| Main International Programmes Offered | IB, Cambridge International, American and other international curricula, depending on school authorization and program. | International Baccalaureate (IB), American, British, Canadian and other authorized foreign curricula, depending on the school. [ISI] |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools) | An eligible Bachelor’s-level degree for the teaching field, followed by the applicable public recruitment process. The current system includes MEB-AGS selection and preparatory training through the National Education Academy. [MEB] | A recognized teacher qualification certificate is required. Standard Grade 2 regular-teacher routes are completed through approved university-level teacher education with prescribed major and teaching coursework; public-school recruitment also follows the applicable appointment process. [Korean Law] |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | 20.6 students (2023). [OECD] | 18.6 students (2026). [KEDI] |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | 28 students in public schools / 13 students in private schools (2023). [OECD] | 24.5 students (2026). [KEDI] |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | — | 23.1 students (2026). [KEDI] |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation Years | 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 454 / 466 / 468. [OECD] | 526 / 514 / 519 [OECD] |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 453 / 456 / 476. [OECD] | 527 / 515 / 528 [OECD] |
| PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 462 / 472 / 494. Türkiye scored close to the OECD average in mathematics and above the OECD averages in reading and science. [OECD] | 522 / 501 / 526 [OECD] |
| PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025 | Türkiye’s 2025 results were higher than in 2022 in mathematics, reading and science. OECD reports that Türkiye was among the few participating systems to improve in all three domains between 2022 and 2025, extending the positive trend recorded in previous cycles. [OECD] | Korea has participated in every PISA cycle since 2000. Between 2022 and 2025, mathematics and science performance was about the same, while reading was lower. Compared with a decade earlier, mathematics and science were about the same in 2025, while reading was lower. [OECD] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025) | Science (Score: 494), followed by reading at 472 and mathematics at 462. [OECD] | Science — 526 points. [OECD] |
Higher Education System
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | 208 higher education institutions in 2025, comprising 129 state universities, 75 foundation universities and 4 foundation vocational schools. [CoHE] | 416 higher education institutions (2026). [KEDI] |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | 23 designated research universities. [CoHE] | 188 general universities in the official 2026 higher-education classification. [KEDI] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | — | 126 junior colleges (2026). [KEDI] |
| Main Institution Types | State universities; foundation universities; foundation vocational schools; vocational schools operating within universities. | General universities, universities of education, junior colleges, graduate-school universities, cyber universities and other specialized higher education institutions. [Korea MOE] |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | — | Public: 20.3% / independent private: 79.7% (2023). [OECD] |
| English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%) | — | — |
| Main Global Ranking Used | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | 0 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | 4 in QS 2027: Seoul National University (#38), Yonsei University (#42), Korea University (#=52) and KAIST (#65). [QS] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | 6 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | 17 South Korean universities are ranked within the top 500 in QS 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | 11 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | 31 South Korean universities are ranked within the top 1000 in QS 2027. [QS] |
| National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education) | Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (YÖKAK). [YÖKAK] | Korean University Accreditation Institute (KUAI), affiliated with the Korean Council for University Education, is the recognized institutional accreditor for four-year universities. [KCUE] |
| International Students (Total) | 352,271 international students (January 2025). [CoHE] | 307,464 foreign students in higher education (2026), including 223,191 degree students and 84,273 non-degree students. [KEDI] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | 4.3% in 2023 under the OECD international/foreign student measure. [OECD] | 10.0% in 2026 (307,464 foreign students among 3,072,261 higher-education students). [KEDI] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency) | Typically $0 for eligible students enrolled in a first standard public higher-education program within state-covered conditions; contribution fees can apply in specified cases. | Approximately $3,180 average annual undergraduate tuition at national/public universities, based on the official national/public average of KRW 4,265,841.8. [Study in Korea] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | — | — |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | — | — |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | — | — |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | Turkey | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Türkiye operates a centralized education system, with school education overseen by the Ministry of National Education and higher education coordinated by the Council of Higher Education. Compulsory schooling covers approximately ages 6–18 and follows the 4+4+4 structure of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education. In 2024/25, private schools enrolled 9.1% of students attending public or private formal schools, while public schools accounted for the remaining 90.9%. Pre-primary education is optional, with a 49.63% adjusted net enrollment rate for ages 3–5. Türkiye participated in PISA from 2003 onward and scored 462 in mathematics, 472 in reading and 494 in science in PISA 2025. OECD reported higher results than in 2022 across all three domains. Higher education included 208 institutions in 2025 and 352,271 international students as of January 2025. Recent changes include the phased rollout of the Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli and the start of teacher-candidate preparatory training through the National Education Academy in 2026. | South Korea uses a 6-3-3-4 education structure with national policy led by the Ministry of Education and local administration carried out through 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education and their local offices. Elementary and middle school provide nine years of compulsory education, while free high-school education has applied nationwide across all grades since 2021. The school year begins in March, and elementary, middle and high schools normally provide at least 190 instructional days. Korean is the main language of instruction. The system includes general and vocational high-school pathways, with vocational programmes accounting for 14.9% of upper-secondary enrollment in 2023. In PISA 2025, Korea scored 522 in mathematics, 501 in reading and 526 in science, with science recording the highest of the three scores. Higher education included 416 institutions in 2026, while the number of foreign students reached 307,464. Current school changes include the High School Credit System, the five-grade high-school internal ranking system for cohorts entering from 2025 and revised credit-completion rules from 2026. The Ministry is also expanding AI-related teaching support in schools and funding general AI curricula at selected universities. |