The Turkish Education Association (Türk Eğitim Derneği, TED) is a non-governmental organisation founded on 31 January 1928 as the Türk Maarif Cemiyeti, in response to a call by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. It aims to give scholarships to successful students with limited means, to open schools teaching in foreign languages in Turkey and abroad, and to contribute to Turkish education policy. The schools known as "TED College" (TED Koleji) are the association's schools. TED Üsküdar College is its school on the Asian side of Istanbul.
How was TED founded?
Education was one of Atatürk's priorities in the early years of the Republic. In a speech to parliament in 1925, he called on individuals and private organisations to contribute to education. In response, the Türk Maarif Cemiyeti was founded on 31 January 1928, led by the founders of the Republic. Today it is called the Turkish Education Association.
TED's aims
The Turkish Education Association's mission covers:
- Scholarships: giving scholarships to successful students with limited means,
- Schools: opening schools and dormitories that teach in foreign languages, in Turkey and abroad,
- Research platforms: working to raise Turkish education to contemporary standards,
- Public awareness: informing society about the problems of the education system and their solutions,
- Policy: contributing to the development of Turkish education policy.
The association opens schools to help Turkey develop through education, to raise the level of education in the regions where its schools are, and to educate successful children with limited financial means.
How does the TED school network work?
TED schools are private schools under the Turkish Ministry of National Education, run by a non-profit association. There are TED schools in many provinces of Turkey, and the association also founded TED University in Ankara.
What TED schools have in common:
| Common element | Details |
|---|---|
| Shared entrance exam | The TED Schools Entrance Exam (TOGS), set by TED headquarters, for middle and high school admission |
| Scholarship and discount rules | Regulations approved by TED headquarters |
| TED Full Education Scholarship | For successful students with limited means, since 2003-2004 |
| Foreign languages | Teaching in foreign languages is part of the association's founding aims |
| International programmes | For example, the TED-Canada Student Exchange Programme and online AP (Advanced Placement) courses through TED Headquarters' agreement with Providence Country Day School in the US are open to students of TED schools |
| Alumni network | TED school graduates; at TED Üsküdar College, children of TED alumni receive a discount and alumni meet current students |
TED scholarships
Giving scholarships has been one of the association's core aims since its founding. Since 2003-2004, successful students with limited financial means have studied at TED schools through the Full Education Scholarship. Applications are made through TED headquarters; the current timetable is published at ted.org.tr (in Turkish).
In addition, each TED school applies its own merit scholarships and discounts under regulations approved by TED headquarters. At TED Üsküdar College:
- merit scholarships based on TOGS, held every January (open to students in grades 4-9 and the high school preparatory year; valid until the end of the school level),
- an LGS Merit Scholarship based on the LGS score, valid throughout high school (LGS scholarship guide),
- internal scholarships of 75%, 50% and 25% for the top three students at each level by year-end ranking,
- discounts of 5% for siblings and 10% for students whose mother or father graduated from a TED high school; early registration and advance payment discounts are announced each year.
TED Üsküdar College
TED Üsküdar College opened in the 2022-2023 school year as the 45th campus of the Turkish Education Association, in Çengelköy, Üsküdar, Istanbul.
| Topic | TED Üsküdar College |
|---|---|
| School levels | Preschool (ages 4 and 5), primary, middle school, Anatolian high school (with preparatory year) |
| International programme | IB World School since 2025; IB Diploma Programme in English in grades 11 and 12 |
| Languages | English as the main foreign language; German or French as a second foreign language in middle and high school |
| Campus | Overlooking the Bosphorus; indoor swimming pool, indoor basketball and volleyball courts |
| Location | Çengelköy, Üsküdar — the Asian side of Istanbul |
For an overview of the school on one page, see TED Üsküdar College at a Glance; for the association's history, see Turkish Education Association. To arrange a campus visit, call +90 216 424 44 44.