If you already got into Sabancı University, the tuition bill does not have to be the final word. Sabancı runs a full set of scholarships for students who are already enrolled, not just for new applicants, and most students never read past the admission scholarship page to find them.
At Studyinfo, we track funding options like this across Turkey because a scholarship you do not know exists is a scholarship you will never get.
This guide covers every scholarship Sabancı University offers during the education period for the 2026-2027 academic year, who qualifies, what each one pays, and the exact steps to apply.
What Are Sabancı University’s In-Study Scholarships?
Sabancı University reviews scholarship opportunities every year through its University Administration and Scholarship Committee.
Quotas, conditions, and amounts can change annually, so a scholarship that had five spots last year might have four or six this year.
These scholarships fall into two broad groups.
- Outstanding Academic Achievement scholarships. Awarded automatically at the end of each academic year based on GPA and credits earned. No application required.
- Academic Achievement and Financial Need scholarships. Require an application with supporting financial documents, submitted during a window announced each year.
Understanding which group a scholarship belongs to is the first step to knowing whether you need to do anything at all.
The Full List of Sabancı Scholarships Offered During Education
Here is every scholarship named on the official page, what it is worth, and whether you need to apply.
| Scholarship | Who It Is For | What It Covers | Application Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sakıp Sabancı Encouragement (Outstanding Achievement) | Students meeting GPA and credit thresholds | Partial tuition fee waiver | No, automatic |
| Sakıp Sabancı Encouragement (Achievement and Need) | Students with strong grades and demonstrated financial need | Partial tuition fee waiver | Yes |
| Dilek Sabancı Scholarship | 5 students moving from 2nd to 3rd year with required success | 100% annual tuition exemption until graduation | No, automatic |
| Hacı Sabancı Scholarship | 1 student moving 1st to 2nd year, cumulative GPA of at least 3.50, highest GPA among students in need | Tuition and dormitory exemption, up to 7,000 TL book support, 21,500 TL monthly stipend for 9 months | Yes |
| Tenzile Erdoğan Scholarship | Female Management Sciences student, preferably from outside Istanbul, 2nd year, GPA of at least 2.5 | Annual tuition exemption, double-room dorm exemption, 21,500 TL monthly stipend for 9 months | Yes |
| Monthly Cash Need Scholarship | Turkish citizen students with financial need | Non-repayable monthly cash for up to 9 months | Yes, twice a year |
| Mehmet Zorlu Vakfı Scholarship | Full-scholarship students in FENS or FASS (excluding VACD) meeting the foundation’s criteria | Monthly cash for 9 months | Yes, through the Monthly Need pool |
| Devak Scholarship (Deloitte Education Foundation) | Financially needy, successful 2nd-year students in FENS, FASS, or Sabancı Business School | Monthly cash for 9 months, based on academic performance | Yes, through the Monthly Need pool |
Figures like the 21,500 TL stipend and the 7,000 TL book support are current published amounts and can be revised each year by the Scholarship Committee. Always confirm the latest numbers directly on the official Sabancı University scholarships page before you plan your budget around them.
Continuation Conditions
Most of these scholarships are not one-time payments. To keep receiving them until graduation, you generally need to:
- Stay within your program’s normal education period
- Avoid any disciplinary punishment
- Maintain a GPA of at least 2.50 each year
Drop below that GPA line and your scholarship can be re-evaluated, which sometimes means reduced or paused funding until your grades recover.
Automatic vs Application-Based: Why the Difference Matters
This is where a lot of students get confused, and it is worth being precise about.
The Dilek Sabancı Scholarship and the Outstanding Achievement version of the Sakıp Sabancı Encouragement Scholarship are merit-only. The university calculates your GPA and credits at the end of the year and either you qualify or you do not. There is nothing to submit and nothing to track down.
Everything else on this list, the Hacı Sabancı, Tenzile Erdoğan, Monthly Cash Need, Zorlu, and Devak scholarships, sits inside the Academic Achievement and Financial Need process. That means financial documentation, a submission window, and a committee review.
Studyinfo Tip: Do not assume you are automatically out of the running just because you missed the Outstanding Achievement cutoff by a small margin. The need-based scholarships evaluate a completely different set of criteria, and a strong financial case combined with a solid GPA can still get you funded.
Documents You Will Need for the Financial Need Application
The financial need scholarships ask for proof of your family’s income situation. What you submit depends on your parents’ employment status.
- If a parent is a businessman, farmer, self-employed, or tradesman, provide a copy of the latest tax registration certificate
- If a parent is retired, provide an approved salary slip from the Social Security Office for the last month
- If a parent is unemployed, provide a document from the Social Security Institution confirming they are not registered
- If a parent is retired but still working, provide both the approved retirement salary slip and a certified salary slip from the current employer
- If your family lives in rented accommodation, provide a copy of the rental contract along with a recent bank receipt showing rent payment
- If you have siblings studying at a university, provide their student certificates
Missing even one of these documents is one of the most common reasons applications get delayed or scored lower during review.
Step by Step: How to Apply for Sabancı’s In-Study Scholarships
- Confirm your category first. Check whether the scholarship you are targeting is automatic (Outstanding Achievement, Dilek Sabancı) or application-based (everything else on the list). Automatic scholarships need no action from you beyond keeping your grades up.
- Watch for the announcement window. Application periods for Academic Achievement and Financial Need scholarships are announced on the university website at the end of each academic year. The Monthly Cash Need Scholarship opens twice a year, at the end of the Spring term and the start of the Fall term.
- Log into the MySU student portal. Applications and evaluations are handled through Sabancı’s internal MySU system, which requires your student login credentials.
- Gather your financial documents in advance. Use the list above based on your parents’ employment situation so you are not scrambling once the window opens.
- Submit any academic proof that strengthens your case. Competition awards, Olympiad certificates, or other documents showing academic achievement can support your application alongside your transcript.
- Upload everything before the deadline. Late or incomplete submissions are not carried over to the next cycle. If financial need continues into the next year, you must reapply, as most need-based scholarships are not automatically renewed like the merit ones.
- Wait for the Scholarship Committee’s decision. For scholarships tied to external foundations like Zorlu or Devak, your application is first evaluated by the university and then forwarded to the foundation for final selection.
- Check for notification from Student Resources. For the main scholarship round, allocation decisions are typically communicated by the end of August.
Application Windows and Important Dates
| Scholarship Type | When Applications Open |
|---|---|
| Academic Achievement and Financial Need | End of each academic year, exact dates announced on the university website |
| Monthly Cash Need Scholarship | Twice a year, end of Spring term and start of Fall term |
| Outstanding Academic Achievement scholarships | No application, evaluated automatically at year end |
Exact dates shift slightly each year, so check the university’s announcements page or your MySU account regularly during May, June, and September.
Can Average Students Win This Scholarship?
Yes, but not through the same door as the top GPA students. The Outstanding Achievement scholarships are reserved for students at the very top of the GPA distribution, so if your grades are mid-range, that specific route is closed to you for now.
The financial need scholarships work differently. They are not ranking every applicant against the highest GPA in the school.
They are asking whether your academic performance is solid enough to justify support and whether your family’s financial situation genuinely needs it.
A student with a 2.7 or 3.0 GPA and a strong, well-documented financial case has a realistic shot at the Monthly Cash Need Scholarship, the Zorlu award, or the Devak award.
Picture a second-year engineering student with a GPA around 2.9, whose father is self-employed and whose family rents their apartment.
That student is not a candidate for Dilek Sabancı or Hacı Sabancı, both of which demand a very high GPA.
But with a complete tax registration document, a rental contract, and a bank receipt on hand, that same student is a realistic candidate for the Monthly Cash Need Scholarship or one of the foundation-backed awards.
If your grades are not at the top of the class, focus your energy here.
- Keep your GPA above 2.50 at minimum, since it is a hard requirement for continuation on most awards
- Build your financial documentation early instead of waiting for the application window to open
- Apply to the Monthly Need pool even if you are not sure which foundation scholarship you might land, since Zorlu and Devak candidates are drawn from that same application
What Nobody Tells You
A few things about this process rarely make it into official pages or generic scholarship articles.
First, early applications genuinely get priority. Sabancı’s own admissions materials note that early applicants receive priority consideration from the Scholarship Committee.
This applies to the in-study process too. Submitting your documents in the first days of the window, rather than the last, puts you ahead of students whose files arrive close to the deadline.
Second, the foundation-backed scholarships, Zorlu and Devak, are not separate applications.
You do not fill out a special form for either one. You apply through the standard Monthly Need Scholarship process, and the university forwards eligible candidates to the relevant foundation based on their own criteria.
Many students never apply to these because they assume they need a direct foundation application.
Third, merit and need scholarships can technically overlap in timing but not in your GPA strategy.
Because Outstanding Achievement scholarships are recalculated every single year based on GPA and credits, a strong second semester can push you into automatic eligibility even if you started the year on a need-based award.
It works both ways too. Slipping below the 2.50 threshold puts any active award at risk of re-evaluation, regardless of which scholarship it is.
Before You Apply: Checklist
- Identify whether your target scholarship is automatic or application-based
- Check the university announcements page for this year’s exact application dates
- Log into MySU and confirm your student account access ahead of time
- Collect the correct financial documents for your parents’ employment situation
- Gather any academic achievement documents such as awards or Olympiad certificates
- Submit your application in the first few days of the window rather than the last
- Confirm your GPA is at or above 2.50 to protect any current or future award
- Reapply each year if you are on a need-based scholarship, since most are not automatically renewed
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to apply for the Sakıp Sabancı or Dilek Sabancı scholarships?
No. Both are awarded automatically based on GPA and credits, with no application required.
What GPA do I need to keep a Sabancı University scholarship?
You must maintain a GPA of at least 2.50 each year to keep most in-study scholarships active until graduation.
How many times a year can you apply for the Monthly Cash Need Scholarship?
You can apply twice a year: once at the end of the Spring term and once at the beginning of the Fall term.
What documents do I need for a financial need scholarship application?
The required documents depend on your parents’ employment status. Commonly requested documents include a tax registration certificate, salary slip, unemployment certificate, or a rental agreement with a bank payment receipt.
When does Sabancı University notify students about scholarship results?
Student Resources generally informs successful applicants by the end of August for the main scholarship application period.
Can you get a Sabancı scholarship if your GPA is not the highest in your class?
Yes. Financial need scholarships consider both your financial circumstances and your academic performance. Having a good GPA, even if it is not the highest in your class, can still make you eligible.
Do I apply separately for the Zorlu or Devak Foundation scholarships?
No. You apply through the standard Monthly Need Scholarship application. If you meet the eligibility criteria, Sabancı University forwards your application to the Zorlu or Devak Foundation for consideration.
Final Thoughts
Sabancı University’s in-study scholarships reward two very different things: sustained academic excellence and genuine financial need, and knowing which lane you are in changes everything about how you prepare.
Merit scholarships need nothing from you but consistent grades. Need-based scholarships reward the students who get organized early, submit complete paperwork, and reapply every year without missing a window.
If you are still deciding where to study or want help comparing scholarship strength across universities in Turkey, browse our Find a Course directory or check our full Scholarships guide.
For more on managing your academic performance once you are enrolled, our Study Tips section has practical advice, and if you want a second opinion on your application strategy, contact us directly.