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NUN Schools

Turkey, Istanbul

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The school at a glance
Instructs in Turkish
Fees Fees not listed
Ages 3 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 741
Type Co-educational, Co-educational (boarding)
Opened 2014
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP)
Taught languages English, Arabic
Typical class size 20
Strengths Outdoor Education, STEM, Service and Sustainability
Clubs Community and Service, Lifestyle and Wellbeing, Leadership and Professional
Stages Kindergarten, Primary School, Middle School, High School
Introduction

Private NÛN Schools, run by the NÛN Education and Culture Foundation in Turkey, serve students aged 3 to 18 and are affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. The curriculum embraces the International Baccalaureate across the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP), with the PYP authorized and the DP program since March 2017. PYP units run in six-week modules and culminate in mini exhibitions that showcase inquiry-led learning. Differentiation and inquiry-based approaches underpin teaching, and classrooms are designed for about 20 students to support collaboration. The campuses feature well-stocked libraries, laboratories, observatories, and flexible spaces; an ecology lab and botanical garden reinforce hands-on science. Outdoor spaces, a forested campus, and a sustainable living program extend learning beyond the classroom. NÛN emphasizes experiential learning, outdoor education, and community service through activities like NÛN Volunteers and thematic programs such as Sefer-i NÛN and Inspiring Guests.

No:5/1, Elmalı, Riva-Beykoz Yolu, 34829 Beykoz/İstanbul, Türkiye

The Essentials

NUN Schools has 741 pupils, typical class sizes of 20, instruction in Turkish.

Location
Elmalı Mah. Beykoz Elmalı Yolu Sk. No:5/1 Beykoz-İstanbul, Turkey

Stages
Primary School; Middle School; High School

Type
Private NÛN Schools run by NÛN Education and Culture Foundation

Pupil Nationality Mix
25 nationalities represented; 73 international students (2021-2022) and 24 teachers from 25 countries

Country affiliation
Affiliated with the Ministry of National Education of Turkey
Diving Deeper

Boarding Arrangements
The dormitories are apartment‑style living spaces designed to support student development beyond housing. Rooms are configured as triple or quad occupancy, with each student having a room that includes a bed, wardrobe, bookcase, and work desk. Bathrooms and toilets are shared, and there are common areas and many study halls for individual or group study. Dormitory evenings feature workshops and guest sessions, continuing education in the evenings and through clubs.

Food Options
The dining hall provides balanced, organic meals for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks, with dinner and evening snacks available for students in dormitories. Meals are planned by food engineers and dietitians, prepared with fresh vegetables and quality meats, and served by staff. Dishes use Riviera olive oil or butter. Third grade and above eat at tables, while younger students eat at tables and older students may serve themselves starting in third grade.

Governance and Ownership
The school is owned by the NÛN Education and Culture Foundation.
Fees
Application and entrance fees
- The admission exam application fee is 500 TL (Turkish Lira).
- For applicants to intermediate grade levels who qualify for a second-stage assessment, a second-stage fee of 1,500 TL is required. Payment is made via the school's online payment page after submitting the application.

Tuition fees by year group (per term / per year)
- The school does not publish a public schedule of tuition amounts per year group or per term for the 2026/27 or 2025/26 academic years on its publicly available admissions materials and school brochures. Exact tuition figures by grade and the per-term breakdown are not listed in the school's published materials.

Billing schedule and payment terms
- The school's published admissions materials show the admission application is paid at the time of application via an online payment page.
- A billing schedule and standard payment terms for tuition (for example: number of installments, due dates, late-payment penalties) are not published in the school's public materials. Specific billing cycles and tuition due dates are not available in the publicly posted documents.
- For extracurricular workshops and camps, the school's event pages state how and when to pay and include explicit non-refundable terms for those program fees (see examples under Other costs).

Boarding fees (if applicable)
- NÛN Schools operates on-campus student boarding and provides detailed descriptions of boarding life, facilities, meals and pastoral arrangements. A monetary boarding fee schedule (monthly, termly or annual boarding fees, deposit amounts) is not published in the school's publicly posted boarding brochure or other public documents.

Other costs and fees (examples and known items)
- The school runs after-school workshops, seasonal camps and extracurricular atölye (workshop) programs that carry separate fees. Sample published program fees include: 10,000 TL for certain 12‑week children's workshops; 8,000 TL for a 6‑week Mathematics Philosophy workshop; 5,000 TL and 4,000 TL for other multi‑week art or activity workshops. These workshop and camp fees are charged separately from tuition.
- Workshop and camp payments are handled via the application/form process; participants are directed to payment forms or provided with bank-account details after registration. Workshop/camp payments are explicitly stated as non‑refundable on the program pages.
- The school describes student services such as meals in the boarding program and club/atölye activities, but the school's published materials do not list amounts for items such as uniforms, textbooks, transport, instrument rentals, exam fees, or other recurring ancillary charges. No uniform price list, book fee schedule, or similar ancillary-fee table is published in the publicly available materials.

Refund information
- For workshops and extracurricular atölye programs, the published pages state that payments for those programs are non‑refundable.
- A published refund policy for tuition, boarding fees, deposits or other core school fees (including how refunds are calculated and under which circumstances a refund is issued) is not available in the school's publicly posted admission or policy documents.

Fee payment options
- The admission application fee is paid via the school's online payment page following submission of the application.
- Workshop and camp pages instruct applicants to complete the registration form and then make payment to bank-account details sent to registrants; these pages therefore show that bank transfer / payment to a provided account is used for those programs.
- The school's public pages do not publish a comprehensive list of accepted payment methods for core tuition and boarding (for example: which credit cards are accepted, whether direct debit/standing order is accepted, or whether installment-by-credit-card options are available).

Brief summary of findings and missing public details
- Published, itemised figures that a parent would typically expect (grade‑by‑grade tuition amounts, per‑term fees, annual tuition totals per year group, boarding fee amounts, deposit schedules, tuition refund formulas and a full published billing calendar) are not included in the school's publicly posted admissions pages, school brochures, or the boarding brochure. The only specific fee amounts published openly are the admission exam application fee (500 TL), the intermediate second‑stage fee (1,500 TL when required) and individual extracurricular/camp/workshop fees with explicit non‑refundability.

If you require exact tuition and boarding fee figures broken down by year group and by term for the 2026/27 academic year (or the 2025/26 year where 2026/27 figures are not published), the school's published public materials do not include those figures and the amounts are therefore not available in the public documents reviewed above.
Academics

NUN Schools teaches IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP) for students aged 3 to 18.

Curriculum
The school follows the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP). NUN Primary School has been authorized to deliver IB Diploma Programme since March 2017. The program emphasizes differentiation and inquiry-based learning, with PYP units lasting six weeks and culminating in mini exhibitions. The campus includes a library, ecology lab, botanical garden, workshops and clubs, an indoor gym, an all-weather sports pitch, a basketball/tennis court, and a running track. Classrooms are designed for a maximum of 20 students.

Student Teacher Ratio
Classrooms are designed for a maximum of 20 students per class.
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
The school emphasizes NÛN Values: Love, Respect, Decency, Compassion, Responsibility, and Justice.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
NÛN Schools implement an Inclusion Policy with differentiation; learning support teachers provide one-to-one support; for students who do not have basic Turkish knowledge or who need English/Arabic language support, individual learning plans and targeted support are provided; NÛN Libraries have resources in other languages; communication with parents is conducted in Turkish and English.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)
The language of instruction is bilingual in PYP, Turkish in MYP, and English in DP; Mother Tongue lessons follow the Turkish national curriculum; Additional Languages are offered in MYP and DP; The Additional Language Education Program supports learning English and Arabic, with resources and differentiated instruction; libraries provide multilingual materials; the school uses both Turkish and English to communicate with parents.

Mental Wellbeing
The main goal of assessment and evaluation includes cognitive, emotional and psycho-motor skills to inform planning and teaching.
Parent Experience

History
NUN Foundation for Education and Culture was established in 2014 to increase the number of youths with ethical and conscientious minds and to contribute to the country's future. The NUN Primary School opened in 2014, and the NUN Middle School and NUN High School opened in 2016. The schools aim to keep students' innate curiosity alive and to develop their emotional, intellectual, and social growth through collaborative learning. NUN aims to educate dynamic generations who move with a unity of knowledge, will, emotion, and action within a value-centered, intercultural understanding and respect, bridging past and future.

Community
Life at NUN is designed so students understand and experience life through education on a campus integrated with nature. The campus emphasizes sustainability and environmental awareness, with classes and activities conducted outdoors when feasible, and outdoor sports facilities actively used. Students frequently spend time in forested settings, learning about biodiversity and the importance of living in balance with nature. Libraries, sports facilities, and clubs provide spaces for social, psychological, and academic growth, creating a learning environment where students thrive in harmony with the natural world.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Parents engage with the school through a variety of activities that bring education to life beyond the classroom. For example, Kitaptan Sanata Veli Atölyesi brought parents into a combined literature-and-art workshop where they explored Kobi Yamada's 'Maybe' and reflected on their own journeys, later experiencing calligraphy to connect with cultural heritage. The Ortaokulumuzda NUN festival connected parents and students through workshops across visual arts, culture, science, English, design, and more, with exhibits, performances, and joint parent-child participation. The Ilkokul Veli Bilgilendirme Toplantısı provides a forum for parents to meet with subject teachers and learn about the curriculum and classroom expectations. NUN Aile Akademisi hosts guest speakers and sessions that explore how parents can strengthen relationships, support their children's education, and contribute to personal development, often concluding with guided discussions. Through these programs, parental involvement is integrated into learning across grade levels.
Facilities

Facilities Overview
Life at NÛN centers on a peaceful campus that blends education with real-life experiences in a natural setting. When weather permits, lessons extend beyond the classroom to outdoor spaces on campus. The facilities include well-equipped libraries, laboratories, observatories and sports fields. The campus is in nature, offering forest walks and a sustainable living program. Diverse student clubs complete the learning environment, supporting social and personal development.

Sports Facilities
Outdoor sports grounds are actively used for physical activity and teamwork. The campus includes dedicated sports fields that support PE classes and team sports. These facilities encourage regular participation in athletics and outdoor recreation. The natural setting enhances outdoor sports experiences and fosters physical well-being.

Academic Facilities
Our academic facilities include well-equipped libraries, laboratories and observatories that support inquiry, experiments and independent research. The campus emphasizes modern learning environments where students engage with technology and hands-on projects. The observatories enable science exploration and data collection as part of the science curriculum. A robust digital infrastructure supports both in-class and online learning.

Extra Curricular Facilities
Diverse student clubs cater to a range of interests, from sustainability to the arts. Sustainable Living clubs and nature discovery programs connect students with ecological practices and the outdoors. NÛN Volunteers organize community service and civic engagement activities. Inspiring Guests program brings experts and leaders to share insights with students. Sefer-i NÛN and other thematic programs enrich the extracurricular landscape.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
Life at NÛN integrates education with real-life experiences, with nature as the classroom. Students connect with nature through environmentally conscious practices and unite their learning experience with the natural world. When weather permits and the lesson allows, learning extends beyond the classroom. The campus features well-equipped libraries and sports fields, while diverse clubs cater to a range of interests; this holistic approach fosters social, psychological, and academic enrichment.

Social & Hobbies
Outdoor sports grounds are actively used for physical activity and teamwork. During nature walks in the forest, students appreciate Earth's biodiversity and the importance of interacting with nature. Diverse student clubs cater to a range of interests, supporting social engagement and hobbies.

Community & Service
NÛN Volunteers is a program that engages students in community service and environmental initiatives. Students participate in environmental practices on campus, balancing nature and developing a sense of responsibility for preserving the planet.

Lifestyle & Wellbeing
Being in nature improves attention and concentration, strengthens focus, and helps develop self-management skills. Outdoor spaces are used for physical activity, supporting a healthy lifestyle. The peaceful campus blends education with nature to foster wellbeing and overall balance for students.
Languages

Language Provision
Turkish is the primary language of instruction in NÛN Middle School, with English offered as a secondary language. In primary school, bilingual lessons are provided. International students receive supplementary Turkish lessons and differentiation trainings to learn Turkish faster and more accurately. Course materials are translated into English in middle school and high school, and English review booklets are prepared to help students keep up with lessons.

Bilingual Teaching
Bilingual lessons are provided in primary school. English and Turkish differentiation studies are carried out for international students to receive a higher quality education. Assignments are planned in English, the common language of instruction.
Admissions

Admissions
1. The admission process begins with an online application. The candidate student application form is completed on the NÛN Schools website. The academic exam is held on dates published on the site, and the exam language may be English or Turkish; Kindergarten and first-year candidates are exempt from the exam.

2. After the academic exam, the candidate is invited to a guidance interview. Guidance unit experts evaluate cognitive level, motor skills, attention, tendency to group work, social and communication skills, and ability to take instructions. The interview aims to assess adaptation to NÛN Schools and the candidate's happiness.

3. All international students must obtain an equivalence certificate. Applying for equivalence is considered when determining the student's class. Registration cannot proceed without an equivalence certificate.

4. Admissions are determined by quotas for each grade. Preschool admissions require 54 months. For 1st grade, 69 months is preferable; 66-69 months may apply with a guidance counselor's report if there are concerns. Admissions for intermediate classes 2-4 are evaluated under existing quotas, and middle and high school admissions are also based on quotas.

Scholarships
Scholarship opportunities are offered by the NÛN Foundation for Education and Culture to promote equal opportunities for students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Scholarship evaluations consider family needs, student performance in admissions, and sustained academic achievement within the defined scholarship quotas. Eligible students may apply after completing the admissions process; current students may apply at any grade level, but scholarships are not offered to kindergarten. Scholarship applications are re-evaluated yearly, based on changes in family financial circumstances and student performance. Scholarships may be revoked if conditions are not met; the scholarship continues as long as the student maintains academic success, avoids disciplinary actions, and family income remains stable.
School Events
The school has not added events
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