Istanbul · Hisar and Marmara
IICS offers English-medium IB education for Istanbul’s international community. Applicants must hold a non-Turkish passport. Hisar serves younger pupils; Marmara continues through Grade 12. Choose the campus and assess the journey before comparing the 2026–27 fees, which are payable in US dollars.
Istanbul International Community School is a private, non-profit, secular, coeducational day school founded in 1911. Its admissions page reports more than 450 students, 75+ nationalities and a 6:1 student-to-educator ratio. That ratio is not a class-size guarantee.
The school offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme. These provide successive stages of education, not three interchangeable school-leaving qualifications.
The two campuses serve different age ranges:
Those distances do not predict journey times in Istanbul traffic. Test the relevant campus journey at school hours, including a future move from Hisar to Marmara. Contact admissions through the application page or admissions@iics.k12.tr.
Consider IICS if you want English-medium IB education and your child meets its passport requirement. The application page attributes this rule to the ministry: students must hold a non-Turkish passport. For a child with dual nationality, confirm eligibility with admissions rather than assuming either acceptance or exclusion.
Applications are accepted throughout the year. For an August start, the school recommends applying in January or February. A child seeking the Turkish national curriculum and its secondary-school admissions route needs a different comparison.
Compare MEF International School if its Ulus location would make the journey more practical. Compare Pierre Loti if continuity in French education is the priority. Check each school’s eligibility and programme separately.
Hisar is the original campus. The school lists a traditional villa and modern classrooms, an on-site public library, a 90 m² physical-education and music room, a small basketball court, a 180 m² football pitch and two playgrounds. Its campus page ends provision at Grade 3, although the fee sheet includes an additional age band discussed below.
Marmara offers education through Grade 12. Its listed facilities include an automated library, three science laboratories, a 320-seat theatre, visual-arts facilities and two music rooms. It also has an early-childhood centre, a double gymnasium and a 6,230 m² football pitch.
The school describes an open application process for pupils who can benefit from its provision. Applicants supply:
For Grade 6 and above, book an English writing assessment with admissions. The child must live with a parent or recognised adult guardian.
An application does not guarantee admission. The Head of School may refuse a place if the child would not benefit or the school cannot meet their educational or social needs. For entry after Grade 9 has begun, the school must also be satisfied that the pupil can earn enough credits for an IICS diploma by Grade 12.
Completed applications are reviewed in order. A waiting list applies when a year group is full; ask about availability for the child’s grade and intended start date.
The tables below use the 2026–27 Individual / NGOs / State Institutions schedules for families receiving no employer assistance. Separate corporate schedules appear on the fees page. Confirm which category applies before budgeting.
Payment is in US dollars only. The published amounts include 10% VAT, which is subject to government change.
One-time, both campuses
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Application, new students | $300 |
| Registration, after acceptance | $1,200 |
| Capital levy, newly enrolling Grade 1 and above (not EY3–EY5) | $8,000 by 15 July 2026 |
Hisar Campus tuition, 2026–27
The campus page lists Hisar through Grade 3, but its individual fee sheet also includes Grades 4–5. That discrepancy remains unresolved. Confirm the actual campus before treating the Grades 4–5 fee as an offer of schooling at Hisar.
| Path | Year |
|---|---|
| EY3–4 | $25,200 |
| EY5 | $39,900 |
| Grades 1–3 | $43,900 |
| Grades 4–5 (as printed; campus page stops at Grade 3) | $42,800 |
Marmara Campus tuition, 2026–27
| Path | Year |
|---|---|
| EY3–4 | $23,000 |
| EY5 | $37,200 |
| Grades 1–3 | $41,200 |
| Grades 4–5 | $42,800 |
| Grades 6–8 | $45,900 |
| Grades 9–10 | $47,400 |
| Grades 11–12 | $48,900 |
The schedule offered a 2.5% discount for full payment by 15 April 2026, a date that has passed. Sibling discounts are 5% for the second child and 10% for the third and subsequent children.
The four instalment dates are 15 April, 15 June, 15 August and 15 October 2026. New families must pay their first instalment within 10 days of acceptance. As the capital-levy deadline above has also passed, a later entrant should obtain an applicable payment schedule before accepting.
The individual schedules include:
Additional costs include MacBooks for Grades 6–12, Grade 12 IB and Advanced Placement (AP) examination fees, bus transport and health insurance. Trips organised through the Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) are also excluded. The mention of AP examination charges does not by itself establish which AP courses are available.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
British International STEAM School Istanbul is the Etiler preschool and primary campus of The British School Istanbul. It combines Cambridge subjects with parts of England's National Curriculum. International secondary education continues at the separate Zekeriyaköy campus, with IGCSE and the IB Diploma.
IstanbulDeutsche Schule Istanbul combines German and Turkish educational traditions in Beyoğlu. Its German-entry process and Turkish Lise admissions have different rules. The Abitur is relevant to both pathways, so begin by confirming the child's route, prior schooling and intended qualifications.
IstanbulLiceo Italiano combines the Italian Liceo Scientifico with requirements from the Turkish education system. Most pupils enter the preparatory class through LGS; a smaller route applies to some pupils with Italian at B1 level. The 2026 admissions round is closed, so families should use it only as a guide to the next published process.
IstanbulPierre Loti offers the homologated French curriculum from petite section to Terminale. Children attend Beyoğlu through CM1, then move to Tarabya for CM2 and secondary school. Its 2026/27 admissions campaign is closed, while 2027/28 dates and current tuition remain unpublished.
Start with the child’s eligibility and the qualification you want to preserve. Then check the campus for the actual year group. Istanbul’s English-medium international schools, French lycée, German school and Italian liceo have different admissions rules; they are not interchangeable options for every passport.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.