International Schools and Education in North Cyprus

A detailed examination of the international schools available for children moving to live in North Cyprus

For such a tiny country with such a small population, North Cyprus doesn’t do too badly when it comes to a choice of international schools and education options for foreign parents moving to the island with children of any school age.  There are kindergartens, nurseries and childminders available for pre-school children, three decent primary and secondary school options and even a daily bus service taking children from Girne to a very good school in South Nicosia.

If you’re a parent and you’re considering relocating to TRNC we understand that you want as much information as possible up front about international schools and education in North Cyprus to help you make a decision about whether to relocate or not - so in this guide we have included as many contact details and as much background information about the educational establishments as possible to enable you to do all your research in one go.

First things first, you’re probably considering the question – ‘should I enrol my children into an international school or integrate them into the local schooling system?’

While there is the question of cost of course – state schooling is free whereas all of the international school options in North Cyprus are private and have to be paid for in full by parents – fortunately private schooling in North Cyprus is far more affordable than in the UK or elsewhere in Europe.

So assuming we can put cost to one side for a minute – if you are certain that you’re going to remain in the TRNC for the duration of your child’s studies and they are of a young enough age to learn Turkish easily, you could consider enrolling them in a state school.  However, if you ever want your child to have the chance of college or university in a country other than the TRNC or Turkey, or if you’re ever likely to relocate again or your child is over the age of about 8 and therefore will find it harder to learn Turkish quickly enough, you should not consider enrolling them in the state system.

One thing to bear in mind is that the Turkish school system is very, very different to the British, French, German or American system for example.  All lessons are of course taught through the medium of Turkish, there is little emphasis on learning a second language, at the moment because of under-funding school facilities and teaching materials are fairly low grade, and if you do decide at some point to take your child out of the state system they will then find it very difficult to integrate into an international school or school ‘back home’ in your original country of domicile for example.

Pre-school options are available in the majority of larger communities such as Nicosia, Girne, Ozankoy, Alsancak and Lapta.  Most nurseries are made up of children from many different nationalities and at such a young age integration is easy because language is still being learned and children who attend mixed nationality kindergartens quickly pick up enough English and Turkish to make themselves understood by the Cypriot and British staff, children and parents.

Some of the options available include Guvence Pre-School in Ozankoy (telephone +90 533 845 9990), they have places for children between the ages of 2 and 6, Bizim Ev Nursery in Catalkoy for babies and children up to 3 year olds (telephone +90 533 841 7050), Girne Children’s Nursery (telephone +90 533 848 1409), Elma Sekeri in Nicosia (telephone +90 533 868 1711) and Maarif Pre-Primary School which has premises in Gazimagusa (telephone +90 392 366 5361) and in Girne (telephone +90 392 815 3388) - and finally Sunny Lane which takes children from the age of 2 and which has a purpose built international school campus in Alsancak (telephone +90 392 821 2011).

For international primary and secondary schools in TRNC there are three main options preferred by parents living in North Cyprus, although other schooling options are advertised. 

The number one choice is again Sunny Lane School in Alsancak - this school follows the British National Curriculum from primary right through secondary level and is currently the only school in Northern Cyprus fully licensed and recognised by the Turkish Cypriot and English Ministries of Education, click here for the school’s dedicated website which contains all contact information as well as comprehensive information about the school, subjects taught, facilities available etc.

The next option is Near East College in Nicosia (Lefkosa) which also has a primary and secondary school.  Just like Sunny Lane, Near East also offers a free bus service to children from all across the island but unlike Sunny Lane, Near East offers French, German and even Greek language training which is important for some parents with children already in their secondary education years and who have begun learning a second language prior to moving to North Cyprus. 

At the time of writing Sunny Lane only offers Turkish as a second language although this may change as the school is continuing to develop, expand and improve.

Near East College pupils and students have access to the facilities and amenities at the Near East University which is a nice bonus – for example there’s an extensive library, an Olympic sized indoor swimming pool, sports centre, health and wellness centre and a computer centre as well.  The school’s email address is or you can click here for their website.

The final option preferred by parents seeking international school options for pupils in North Cyprus is The American College at GAU (which is Girne American University).  They have a primary and secondary school campus in Karaoglanoglu (which is right next to Girne) and there is another campus near Nicosia.  Unfortunately while the main GAU website is excellent, it’s dedicated to undergraduates and graduates attending the university from the age of 18!  So, if you want more information about the schooling options for your student children you will have to make contact with the collage via email - or via phone (+90) 392 650 2000, fax (+90) 392 822 3384 or snail mail (letter) Karmi Campus, Karaoglanoglu-Girne, Mersin, 10, Turkey.  There’s a basic write up about the primary and secondary school available by clicking here.

As stated earlier in this article, some parents prefer to send their children over the border to South Nicosia to school, the favoured choice is Highgate School and parents have organised a bus service which leaves Girne early in the morning with one parent a week taking it in turns to be bus and passport supervisor.  Click here for the school’s contact details and if you do decide to enrol your student child at Highgate the administration staff should be able to put you in touch with other parents from North Cyprus so you can find out about the bus service.

Finally, because people from many different nationalities and backgrounds come to North Cyprus to retire, it’s actually an excellent place to find private tutors in a range of skills and subjects.  You can find music teachers who cover everything from piano to violin, guitar, cello and drums for example, or private tutors for children who require extra coaching in subjects such as maths and English.  Some advertise online, some through the Cyprus Today newspaper and if you’re seeking a specific type of teacher you could always place your own classified in the daily or weekly North Cyprus newspapers.