# Education in Northern Cyprus

Education in Northern Cyprus is organized by the Ministry of National Education and Culture. 5 years of primary education is mandatory. As of 2015, Kemal Dürüst is the Minister of National Education and Culture.

## Kindergarten

Children in Northern Cyprus, below age 6, can attend kindergartens of public and private institutions. Kindergarten is not mandatory.

## Elementary school

Elementary school provides 5 years of education for children between the ages of 6 and 11. All elementary schools are public and free.

## High school

High schools provide a minimum 6 years of education, where 3 years last for junior high school (Ortaokul). There are different kinds of high schools in Northern Cypriot education system, such as standard public high schools, private high schools, science high schools, vocational high schools, technical high schools and fine arts high schools. As of 2008, there are 18 high schools, 14 junior high schools and 12 vocational high schools.

## Universities

All of universities in Northern Cyprus are private except Eastern Mediterranean University, METU-NCC, and ITU-TRNC. In 2013 there were 63,765 university students from 114 countries in nine universities in Northern Cyprus. In 2014, the number of students increased to 70,004, (15,210 Turkish Cypriots; 36,148 from Turkey; 18,646 international students).
There are 19 universities in Northern Cyprus:
| University | Turkish Name | Location | Type | Official Website |
| Girne American University | Girne Amerikan Üniversitesi | Kyrenia (Karaoğlanoğlu county) | Private | http://www.gau.edu.tr |
| The American University of Cyprus | Kıbrıs Amerikan Üniversitesi | Nicosia | Private | https://www.auc.edu.tr/en |
| Eastern Mediterranean University | Doğu Akdeniz Üniversitesi | Famagusta | Public | http://www.emu.edu.tr |
| Cyprus International University | Uluslararası Kıbrıs Üniversitesi | North Nicosia (Haspolat county) | Private | http://www.ciu.edu.tr |
| European Leadership University | Avrupa Liderlik Üniversitesi | Famagusta | Private | https://elu.edu.tr/ |
| Near East University | Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi | North Nicosia | Private | http://www.neu.edu.tr |
| European University of Lefke | Lefke Avrupa Üniversitesi | Morphou | Private | http://www.eul.edu.tr |
| University of Mediterranean Karpasia | Akdeniz Karpaz Üniversitesi | North Nicosia | Private | https://www.akun.edu.tr/en-US |
| University of Kyrenia | Girne Üniversitesi | Kyrenia | Private | http://kyrenia.edu.tr |
| Cyprus Science University | Kıbrıs İlim Üniversitesi | Kyrenia | Private | http://www.csu.edu.tr |
| Middle East Technical University-Northern Cyprus Campus | Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi-Kuzey Kıbrıs Kampusu | Morphou | State | http://ncc.metu.edu.tr |
| Istanbul Technical University-TRNC | İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi-KKTC | Famagusta | State | http://www.kktc.itu.edu.tr/ |
| Rauf Denktas University | Rauf Denktaş Üniversitesi | North Nicosia | Private | http://rdu.edu.tr/ |
| Mesarya Technical University | Mesarya Teknik Üniversitesi | North Nicosia (Meriç county) | Private | https://www.mesarya.university/ |
| Bahçeşehir Cyprus University | Bahçeşehir Kıbrıs Üniversitesi | North Nicosia (Alayköy, Kumsal county) | Private | https://baucyprus.edu.tr/ |
| Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD) | Arkın Yaratıcı Sanatlar ve Tasarım Üniversitesi | Kyrenia | Private | https://www.arucad.edu.tr/ |
| Onbes Kasim Kibris University | Onbeş Kasım Kıbrıs Üniversitesi | North Nicosia (Küçük Kaymaklı, Düzova county) | Private | https://www.onbeskku.edu.tr/ |
| Cyprus West University | Kıbrıs Batı Üniversitesi | Famagusta | Private | https://cwu.edu.tr/ |
| Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (CHSSU) | Kıbrıs Sağlık ve Toplum Bilimleri Üniversitesi (KSTU) | Morphou | Private | https://eng.kstu.edu.tr/ Archived 2021-03-02 at the Wayback Machine |
| Cyprus Social Sciences University | Kıbrıs Sosyal Bilimler Üniversitesi | North Nicosia | Private | https://kisbu.edu.tr/ Archived 2021-02-05 at the Wayback Machine |
Atatürk Teacher Academy and Police Academy provide vocational education in related subjects.

## International membership of Northern Cyprus institutions

| Institution | Membership | Membership Date |
| The Association of North Cyprus Biologists (Bio-Der) | European Countries Biologists Association (ECBA) | 2006 |
| Northern Cyprus' Educational Sciences Association (KEB-DER) | European Educational Research Association | 13.08.2010 |
| North Cyprus' Higher Education Planning Evaluation Accreditation and Coordination Council (YÖDAK) | The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) UK - National Academic Recognition Information Center (UK-NARIC) The Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEENQA) | 2007 2009 2009 2013 |
* Near East University’s Faculty of Pharmacy was accredited by The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) in 2014.
* The law faculties of the three universities of Northern Cyprus were accredited by European Law Faculties Association (ELFA).
* The English Preparatory School of European University of Lefke was accredited by Pearson Assured in 2015.
* Near East University and Eastern Mediterranean University are members of European University Association.
* Girne American University and Cyprus International University are members of European Council for Business Education (ECBE).
On 17-18 May 2019, The Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEENQA) held its meeting in Northern Cyprus; 26 quality assurance institutions from 20 countries participated the meeting.