Meridyen Schools — IB and Cambridge private school in Sarıyer, Istanbul

From Grade 1 to the diploma, one line.

Choose the grade your child will start and your goal; see which programmes lie ahead up to Grade 12, which diploma they will graduate with and what admission involves.

What is your goal?

Turkish diploma (YKS)For students aiming at university in Türkiye: an international framework for the first eight years, then the MEB programme and YKS preparation in high school.IB DiplomaFor students applying to universities abroad or to international programmes in Türkiye: a path that starts with the PYP, passes through IGCSE and ends with the IB Diploma Programme.Cambridge IGCSEFor students who want to strengthen high school with an international certificate and apply in Türkiye or abroad: IGCSE, then the MEB programme and YKS in Grades 11–12.Both: IB + Turkish diplomaFor those who want to keep both doors open: the IB Diploma Programme together with the MEB programme, with YKS study hours in the second term of Grade 12.

International programme PYPIB Primary Years Programme (PYP) LSCambridge Lower Secondary IGCSECambridge IGCSE DPIB Diploma Programme (DP)

Turkish national curriculum MEBTurkish national curriculum (MEB diploma)

At graduation

MEB Anatolian high school diploma

The LGS is not required to join a private high school; LGS results may be used for scholarships.

Admission steps for Grade 9

Reports from the last two years, maths and Turkish assessment
Family meeting and campus visit

Apply on this path

Teachers from thirty countries, one school bell.

Each line is the longitude of a teacher's home city. From Edinburgh to Melbourne, Mexico City to Osaka; all of them in class in Sarıyer at 08:10.

Hover over a line to meet the teacher from that city and see what time it is there.

Meet the faculty

After school, at 15:50.

Clubs, teams and service projects every day of the week. CAS for high school, robotics and orchestra for middle school, the garden for primary.

Two students' hands assembling a small robot in robotics club

The full club timetable

Monday

Model United Nations15:50–17:00 · 9–12

Basketball15:50–17:00 · 5–8

Open studio15:50–17:00 · 6–12

Tuesday

Robotics15:50–17:00 · 6–12

School orchestra15:50–17:15 · 5–12

Coding and design15:50–16:50 · 4–8

Wednesday

Forest volunteers (CAS)15:50–17:00 · 9–12

Volleyball (girls' and boys' teams)15:50–17:30 · 7–12

Thursday

Maths olympiad15:50–17:00 · 7–12

Theatre15:50–17:15 · 5–12

Friday

School paper "Boylam"15:50–16:50 · 8–12

Garden and nature15:50–16:50 · 1–4

November

Coming up

All news and the calendar

A letter from the founder

When I founded Meridyen I had one question in mind: can a child put down roots in their own language and city, and still think freely anywhere in the world?

Fifteen years on I know the answer is yes, with one condition: not the programmes, but the teachers. Every teacher on our staff came here from another city, another time zone, and every morning they walk into class at the same bell.

Before you choose our school, I would like you to spend a morning in our classrooms. Walk into the middle of a lesson and ask a student what they are learning. They will tell you the rest.

Dr. Nevin ArıkanFounder and Head of School

About us

An admissions officer showing a family the classrooms along a glass corridor

Spend a morning with us.

A campus visit takes 75 minutes: you meet the head of section, sit in on two lessons and see the library and labs. You are welcome to bring your child.

Choose another day

Writing from school

Two stacks of textbooks, reading glasses and a pencil on a night-blue background

Programmes · November 1, 2026 IB, IGCSE or the Turkish curriculum alone? Six questions to ask when choosing a high school path All three programmes can lead to a good university. The right question is not "which is best?" but "where will my child learn best, and where will they apply?"

A mother and daughter unpacking boxes in a newly rented apartment

For families · October 23, 2026 Moving to Istanbul with children: the first 90 days of school

A university counsellor and a high school student looking at a laptop at a desk

University path · October 5, 2026 Applying to university abroad: a timeline from Grade 9 to Grade 12

All articles

What families ask

All questions

When do applications open?

The pre-registration form is open all year. Assessment days for the next school year run from November to February; if places remain, we also admit students over the summer.

Is there an entrance test for primary?

No. In Grades 1–4 your child spends a play and reading session with a teacher; the aim is to plan the class and any language support. From Grade 5 there is an English placement and maths assessment.

Why doesn't the form ask for my child's health information or ID number?

We do not need them at pre-registration. Documents needed for final enrolment are collected at school, in person, with a separate privacy notice. The form asks only for the parent's name, contact details, year of birth and grade of interest.

In which grade does the IB Diploma Programme start?

The DP is a two-year programme that starts in Grade 11. It cannot be started in Grade 12; students joining in Grade 12 are placed on the MEB programme.

Can our child get both the IB and the Turkish diploma?

Yes. Turkish citizens follow the MEB programme on every path and receive the MEB diploma; those who take the IB Diploma Programme graduate with both. The double load is demanding; the decision is made together with the student, family and counsellor in the second term of Grade 10.

It is 20:18 in Sarıyer.