University housing in Turkey
The process of searching for suitable student housing is one of the biggest challenges facing foreign students wishing to start their university studies in Turkey. Many of these students postpone this research process until they obtain university admission and reach Turkey. However, it is preferable to start searching for housing immediately after obtaining university admission and before the student leaves his or her home country.
Housing must be one of the most important things that occupy the student's mind and make him wonder, how do I get suitable housing? Is finding housing in Turkey easy or difficult? Do Turkish universities have their own housing? Can I rent an apartment in Turkey? We will try to answer these questions, among others, through the following article:

•     Types of housing in Turkey
•     Tips for choosing the right accommodation for you in Turkey
•     Tips when renting an apartment in Turkey

There are 5 types of student housing in Turkey:

1- Government student housing:
These dormitories belong to the KYK Foundation, which in turn is affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Turkey. These student dormitories are spread in all Turkish states and their number is estimated at about 753. Some government dormitories are closed during the summer vacation period, but for summer courses and university training periods, some student dormitories remain on rotation in the summer, and registration is done before the holiday. It is also worth noting that foreign students are allowed to register to live in student government dormitories in Turkey, as well as these dormitories receive beneficiaries of Turkish government scholarships, but the rejection rates for foreigners are considered high, since preference is often given to Turkish students.

These housing provide a high degree of security as no one can enter or exit them unless he is registered in them, and there are several security systems such as the fingerprint system or the electronic card system for entry and exit. In addition to the presence of security men at the main gates throughout the day.

 

2- Endowment student housing:
It is housing usually supervised by the Turkish Religious Endowment or by one of the charitable and religious associations and organizations in Turkey. It allows students to live for a symbolic money compared to private housing. This type of housing is characterized by fixed and strict laws where accepted students are selected after meeting them, talking with them and getting to know them. The endowments supervising these residences also allow the attendance of religious and preaching sessions according to organized periodic programs and seminars supervised by Turkish religious professors, and their attendance is mandatory for the residents of the endowment in most cases. The official Turkish endowment residences are more reliable and organized, and are characterized by being modern and safe housing, and they are mainly active in three main states: Istanbul, Antalya and Izmir. In addition to the fact that the endowment housing provided by religious organizations in Turkey receives all students regardless of their political orientation, it allows foreign and Arab students to live there. But it is also worth noting that the endowment housing is not as good as the other housing in terms of the available possibilities and services provided to students.

 

3- Private student housing:
There are about 895 private residences in Turkey and they are managed and established by private entities and companies in Turkey, and the conditions of residence in these residences are usually better than others, where a great deal of calm and comfort can be obtained and enjoy the services provided. In general, we can say that it is better than government and endowment housing in terms of service and even psychological, as the student residing in private housing enjoys greater independence and more privacy, and the number of people residing in the same room is less, but this certainly depends on the student’s choice of room if it is Single, double, triple or even quadruple. Just as there are private dormitories that are not affiliated with a specific university, there are private dormitories that are affiliated with some universities.
In general, the services of private housing in Turkey vary according to the company based on this project and according to its administrative staff as well, and in general, the larger the monthly rent, the more distinguished the services provided, and certainly there are some housing with their own conditions, such as being only for students of a particular university Or for a specific specialty such as medicine or engineering... Some of them accept only students, and some accept all students, including graduate students, and some accept only undergraduate students. Those looking for private housing for students in Turkey always need to present official documents proving that they are studying in Turkish universities so that they can apply for housing there.

4- Shared Student Apartments:
An Arab or foreign student in Turkey may not be able to obtain suitable opportunities to live in a government, endowment or even private housing, then he will resort to living in student or youth apartments, which are usually ordinary apartments, in which students and young people live in general, and the student can agree With a number of his colleagues to rent a regular apartment, and this may be expensive because of the costs of insurance, furnishing and equipping the house, in addition to the monthly bills, not to mention the summer period in which he should take care of rents and bills, because rent in Turkey is often for a whole year. The student is usually obligated to pay a monthly sum of money for his accommodation in these apartments, which provide him with electricity and water services, in addition to the Internet, gas as well, and some other services depending on the apartment. There are no specific laws for this type of accommodation, but the students must maintain the cleanliness of the place, remain calm and cooperate in the tasks of the house. It is worth noting that the value of housing rent for students in Turkey varies according to the state in which they reside, the neighborhood and the different services as well. Most of the student housing apartments for female students are within modern housing complexes to secure guard, protection and security, which means an increase in the amount of the monthly rent.
It is worth mentioning some online digital platforms in which a person can search for suitable and economic housing similar to youth housing, and they are global platforms, and they are useful in the event that you cannot determine your place of residence before traveling and you need temporary housing until you find a suitable place for you, the most important of which are:

 

•     hostelbookers.com
•     hostelworld.com
•     airbnb.com
•     homestay.com

 

5- Renting a private apartment:

It is one of the options that many students prefer to obtain greater privacy and independence, but this option is considered the most difficult to provide, as it takes a long time to find suitable and economical housing, in addition to the costs and some suffering that a person will suffer in buying Furniture and supplies for the house if it is unfurnished, or other suffering represented in making subscriptions for water, electricity, gas and the Internet and paying their insurance.

Tips for choosing the right accommodation for you in Turkey:

In the beginning, it is preferable for any student to stay in a student residence until he gets to know the city in which he lives and acquires a sufficient amount of language that will help him later on going out for private rent.
Your study life will often be full of events and tumultuous days, so choosing a residence in a remote location is not a good thing, especially if you are going to study in one of the major cities, specifically in Istanbul, as the location near the university will save you the trouble of reaching it in the early morning hours and returning to Accommodation in the late evening hours.
It is better to choose housing that offers rooms with a small number of students, because this gives you more opportunity to focus on studying, and guarantees you more privacy and arrangement.
It is important to understand whether your housing choice will match your lifestyle, as waqf housing does not suit everyone.
You must study and audit the housing contract carefully, and know all the matters related to housing and other matters.
Tips when renting an apartment in Turkey:

 

You must take into account the ease of access to public transportation, especially metro or metrobus stations (which is a long bus with a special track within a long transportation line linking the European and Asian sections), especially in Istanbul and major cities.
It is not recommended to rent underground apartments, called (bodrum) in Turkish, as the humidity increases in them, which has a lot of damage to walls and ceilings, to mattresses and machines used in the house, and to health in general, not to mention insects and rainwater collection.

 

You have to pay attention to the heating system in the house, because some old houses do not have the natural gas extension service, which is the best economic solution and also does not have any sound or harmful waste.

You can rent an apartment in one of the modern residential complexes, which is characterized by the presence of security around the clock, and the presence of all the necessary facilities such as shops, restaurants, gyms, as well as parking lots, but also characterized by the high cost of renting and often far from the city center.
You also have to ensure that the person you are renting from owns the house by seeing their title deed, which is called in Turkish (Tabo).
If you have already decided to rent, here are some of the Turkish websites on the Internet
that can help you in choosing the right apartment or house:

•     sahibinden.com
•     emlakjet.com
•     zingat.com

Another thing to keep in mind is that living in another country with other people or on your own is fun and teaches you a lot, although some international and local students may find it difficult to live with some other nationalities. So know that you will get to know a lot of people, and you will find it difficult to adapt to others. You will feel lonely sometimes, and you may miss home and family sometimes but make sure that all of that forms part of this experience, which will eventually expand your horizons, and make you a different person than you are now. Remember that it is a journey that will end as it began one day, so enjoy all its moments and live it with all its experiences.