Good Reasons to Study in Northern Cyprus

It is sometimes a nerve racking time for students thinking of studying overseas as part of their life experience, let alone for their future studies and careers. So, what make North Cyprus a great place for studying, when coming to study here at one of the prestigious university campuses that are fast gaining a worldwide reputation for excellence?

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea

It has a very high strategic importance. It forms the intersection of three continents; Europe, Middle East and Africa. Cyprus was British colony until 1960 when it got its independence. In the year 1974 Cyprus got divided into two separate states - the north part is called TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) and the south part called The Republic of Cyprus. The boundary separating the two sides is known as the "Green Line" it runs through Nicosia (Lefkosa) the capital of both North and South Cyprus. Nowadays there are five border crossings offering 24 hour unrestricted access for Cypriots and EU citizens to pass through North and South Cyprus
North Cyprus is probably one of the most considerable places for education in the world
This is simply proved by the population of students in it. There are more than 40,000 students studying in North Cyprus. This fact enables Cyprus to have a very unique multicultural atmosphere. When you come to North Cyprus you will meet people from different places from all around the world. Thus you get to know not only Cypriot culture but many other too. There are 6 Universities in North Cyprus and the most developing one is Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). Since established in 1979 EMU is a rapidly growing university having 1000 faculty members from 35 countries and more than 15 000 Students representing 68 countries. Eastern Mediterranean University is a full member of Mediterranean Universities, Federation of Islamic World, International Association of Universities and International Council of graphic design.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ministry of education and sports awards scholarships for international students based on their academic performance. Such scholarship includes: tuition fee, dormitory fee, allowance ($200 per month for 12 months), and stationary aid ($70 per semester).
When it comes to student life that's when the cultural and activities center of EMU and all other Cypriot Universities step in. With about 55 different clubs and societies the activities center in EMU adds a lot of joy to students life. Those clubs are of a very large variety including scientific clubs, technology clubs, science clubs, music clubs, dance clubs, sport clubs, theater clubs, animal society club, photography club, fashion club, culture club and a lot more.
North Cyprus Universities offer affordable tuition fees
Not only tuition fees but also living expenses are moderate. Estimated average living expenses for international students are 450-600 US dollars per month. Alcohol and cigarettes are cheap too. EFES, the local beer, can be purchased for around 50p per bottle, and a good quality bottle of wine for as little as $2.5.
With over 300 days of sunshine a good use of solar energy can be made in North Cyprus. Solar panels that provide free source of energy ensure that electricity costs are extremely low even during winter time

North Cyprus is well-known for its pleasant climate

With its warm, dry summers and mild winters Cyprus is a pleasant place to stay. In August the hottest month of the year the temperature ranges from 21 °C to 36 °C and in the coldest months of January and February the temperature is about 10 °C. To be ready for such whether you can leave your heavy winter coats behind, and swap them for jackets just to keep wind and rain out if necessary. You will need an extra layer for evenings but a good hot Turkish coffee will be enough to warm you up!

At the foot of Karpaz lies the Golden beach one of the ten longest beaches in the world. It stretches for more than 5 miles along the East Coast. Golden Beach has magnificent sand and turtles nursing their offspring around the shore. Other Beaches such as Guzelyurt and Kyrenia Beaches all have unique specialties. Acapulco beach for example is known as the most suitable beach for professional water sports.

Tourism in Cyprus is what helps you never get bored throughout the year.

There are a lot of Museums, Mosques, Churches and ancient places to discover. Shipwreck museum for example is where the oldest trading ship ever recovered from sea is. St. Sophia Cathedral, Arap Ahmet mosque, and Bedesten are some of the most considerable places to visit. Bellapais Abbey which was once the home of Lawrence Durrell is arguably one of the most impressive sites in the Mediterranean
And indisputably one of the most majestic sites of the island. It is the most impressive Gothic monument in North Cyprus.

For wind surfing, water skiing, mono-skiing, banana riding, knee boarding, canoeing, wake boarding, power boating and jet-skiing the shores and beaches of Northern Cyprus are the place to be! Visitors and owners at Aphrodite Beachfront Villagein the Guzelyurt area will have the chance to have lessons from world-class Kite Surfers as part of the Aphrodite Water sports club. Leaving from Kyrenia harbour daily are a variety of boat trips. You can sail out west to Escape beach and sunbathe; snorkel and swim in the calm shallow waters, or you can sail out east to Alagadi beach and scuba dive or picnic.

The culture of a place is always reflected in its kitchen

Northern Cyprus is no exception in that! North Cyprus cuisine embodies influences from North (South-Eastern Europe), East (Western Asia), South (Northern Africa), and West (Mediterranean) resulting in excellent choices from pasta dishes made of dough, raw and cooked vegetables, different types of seafood and meat kebabs, and finally mouth-watering desserts. Eating out is popular amongst locals and the choice of cuisine reflects this. In larger towns, a range of international restaurants also offer dishes from around the world.

North Cyprus (TRNC), A Home for International Students
Aiming to be referred as the ‘University Island’ Northern Cyprus is focused on bringing more international students in the country for imparting high end quality education and plans to reach a mark of 100,000 students within the next 10 years as confirmed by Mr. Gokcekus, the Yodak chairman.

Officially known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Northern Cyprus is a self-declared state that encompasses the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is judged as Turkish-occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus globally.

Northern Cyprus has been deprived from political and economical standards of International trade and with limited travelling options the Island is growing in terms of education. They promise to grow the culture based on University education and are religiously deemed on producing quality in terms of educated and skilled students from across the Globe.

The Northern Cyprus community is becoming a second home for students who wish to aspire education in various fields and this is a motivating place for them as they are indulged in quality experience which the Universities are imparting. Uchechi Owhonda, a 26 year old management information system major student takes delight in enjoying the break for enhancing and catching up on studies and does not pine on the travel inconvenience that come along.

The place has adopted education as a source for economic rise and has been able to produce so far 9 Universities with the 10th in construction as declared by Higher Education Council or Yodak the ones responsible for the same. With a mere population of 300,000 Northern Cyprus has a total of 63,000 students enrolled in various Universities. The toll of international students has reached 15,000 mainly from Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

Very proud of their achievements Huseyin Gokcekus, Yodak Presidents claims to have touched a new height of 110 nations sending students to Northern Cyprus for education. He proclaims that faculty and staff members are coming in from 60 countries and thus hold a diversity of culture which can be shared along the way. The main language used for instructions is medium to be English.

The Turkish higher education Board has placed a point system on its students and thus they are not the ones who make a choice of further education but are allocated Universities. The international students have to fight their way as per academic rating and skills which need to be at par for admission.

When International students were asked to express the reason for choosing the destination for education, the reply was quality and international exposure. Students from Nigeria are overwhelmed by the quality education imparted in Cyprus Universities and confirm that learning could not have been better anywhere else except in the Northern Cyprus region.

However due to political differences the land of Turkey has unresolved mix of Universities issues which acts as a low in terms of bringing the educational capacity of the place to its heights. But on the positive side acceptance of degrees and diplomas through the University are accepted by most around the world. This is the initiation of higher education board in Turkey which has helped in gaining certification for Northern Cypriot documents. Abdullah Y. Oztoprak, rector of Eastern Mediterranean University has confirmed that students have no problems in moving to higher education in leading Universities like Oxford and others in the race.

Students have been seen using the University of Northern Cyprus as a further help required for moving ahead to western Universities for higher education. They claim to have better chances of getting selected in master’s degree course after completing graduation degree from the land.

Cost can be seen as another attracting factor which is helpful in pulling international students towards the University grounds in Northern Cyprus as a range of 6000 dollars to 8000 dollars can be estimated as tuition fees in the universities. Scholarship provisions are also seen taking place which helps the students further in being complimented with lower cost of education.

The place is filled with other needs and requirements for a student life and thus the education system has been able to give a boost to the overall economy of the place. The officials confirm that other sources of economy have not been able to flourish in the area as education has and thus they are committed in enhancing better education facilities and maintain a stable economy for the place. The international students are a high contributor in the same.

However a huge number of international students are seen turning towards the option of Northern Cyprus for educational needs are focused on making the best utility of their years by gaining quality education through them.