How to Apply to
Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul:
Step by Step

The short answer

To apply to Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul you submit the school’s Pre-Application Form or Long Term Application online; there is no entrance exam and no English test. You must be 18 or older on the first day of the course, and no prior culinary experience is required. An Admission Committee reviews your application and sends a letter of admission or refusal. If you are admitted, you send four passport-size photographs, a health certificate covering four specified tests, and your receipt of payment. A pre-registration payment reserves your place — 3,000 USD for the Grand Diplôme, 1,500 USD for a single diplôme — and the full fee is due no later than six weeks before the first day of class. The next long-programme intake is the Fall term on 28 September 2026, with orientation on 25 September.

Who can apply to Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul?

The entry bar is lower than most applicants expect. The school asks for four things:

• Age. You must be 18 years or older at the start of the course.
• Prior experience. None is required. The school states this plainly, and its Admissions Policy adds that trade or industry experience is not mandatory.
• English. There is no English proficiency examination requirement. Classes are taught in English, so you must be able to follow them. The school’s Admissions Policy recommends B2 on the Common European Framework, but it recommends — it does not test.
• Academic background. The policy names a high school diploma, high school certificate, GCSEs, CAP or Baccalauréat, or an equivalent level, as base entry requirements — while noting that in some cases the school may accept an applicant with no formal qualification.

That last point matters: if you have cooked for years without a certificate, you are not automatically excluded.

Sources, checked 30 August 2026: Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul — Grand Diplôme and the school’s published Terms and Conditions and Admissions Policy for International Students (PDF).

What are the steps, from first form to first class?

• Step 1 — Choose the programme. The form asks which one you want: the Grand Diplôme, Diplôme de Cuisine or Diplôme de Pâtisserie alone, or a single module. All are listed with current fees on our programmes page.
• Step 2 — Submit the form. The school runs two entry points: a short Pre-Application Form and a longer Long Term Application. Both are online, both are free.
• Step 3 — Write the letter of motivation. The Admissions Policy states it must be written by the applicant, and that the decision weighs the motivation and aspirations set out in it. This is the part you control.
• Step 4 — Wait for the committee. Your application is assessed by the school’s Admission Committee, and you are told the result in a letter of admission or refusal. If you are refused, you can appeal in writing within 14 days to the Director; an Academic Standards Committee re-examines it and its decision is final.
• Step 5 — Pay the pre-registration payment. This reserves your place. Amounts are in the table further down.
• Step 6 — Send the admitted-applicant documents. Four photographs, the health certificate, and your receipt of payment.
• Step 7 — Pay the balance, at the latest six weeks before class starts. Miss it and the school may give your place to someone on the waiting list.
• Step 8 — Arrange the visa and residence permit, then arrive for orientation. For the Fall 2026 term that is 25 September, three days before teaching begins.

Once your documents are complete and the fee is paid in full, the school emails you the training information for your term.

Which documents does the school ask for?

Documents come in two waves. At application: the form and your letter of motivation. After you are admitted, three things:

• Four passport-size photographs.
• A health certificate covering a chest x-ray, a nose and throat culture, stool microscopy including an ova and parasite exam, and a stool culture.
• Your receipt of payment.

The health certificate is the item applicants underestimate. Four separate tests, some with laboratory turnaround, are not a same-week task — start it when your admission letter arrives, not when you are packing.

Source, checked 30 August 2026: Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul — Admissions Process.

When do the intakes start?

Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul lists three start terms for its long programmes: Winter, Spring-Summer and Fall. The Spring-Summer term is an intensive course and covers Basic levels only. As of 30 August 2026 the school publishes one dated intake:

Work backwards from the start date. If you are aiming at 28 September 2026, the fee deadline is six weeks earlier, and the visa appointment must sit before that.

What the school does not publish: the Winter and Spring-Summer dates for the coming academic year, and any 2027 dates. We have not printed estimates for them. If you need a term other than Fall, ask admissions directly at lecordonbleu@ozyegin.edu.tr or +90 216 564 9398.

What do you pay, and when is it due?

Two payments, in this order: a pre-registration payment that holds your seat, then the balance. The pre-registration amount depends on the programme.

Three rules sit behind that table, and all three are the school’s own words:

• The full fee is due no later than six weeks before the first day of class.
• Miss that date and you can lose the place. The school reserves the right to give priority to students on the waiting list in place of admitted students who did not pay in full, and states that a deposit or fees already paid are then not refundable.
• The tuition includes a knife set and two pairs of student uniforms. Fees are payable in US dollars or Turkish lira, and you pay the bank transfer charges.

For how those Istanbul figures compare with the same diploma elsewhere, see our Istanbul vs Paris comparison.

Sources, checked 30 August 2026: Admissions Process (fee and pre-registration tables) and the Terms and Conditions of Payment, Deferment and Cancellation (PDF). Fees are as published by the school and change between academic years — confirm the current figure with admissions before you transfer money.

Can you defer or cancel after you have paid?

Yes, within limits the school sets out in writing — in a PDF rather than on a web page, which is why this is the hardest part of the process to find.

• Deferment. If you have paid the pre-registration payment or the full fee, you may move your start to a later term, provided you give written notice at least six weeks before the course begins. You can defer once. There is no deferment fee, but you pay any increase in the course fee, and the maximum deferment is one year from your original entry date. Students on the diploma route cannot postpone entry to the intermediate or superior levels.
• Cancelling more than six weeks before the start. You are entitled to a refund of everything you paid, less the application fee.
• Cancelling between six and four weeks before the start. Refunds are only made for reasons beyond your control — the school names a medical emergency, a death in the immediate family, or a natural disaster — with written justification. In that case you get back 50% of the tuition paid for your first course.
• Cancelling four weeks or less before the start, or after it has begun. No refund.
• If the school cancels the course, all fees you paid for it are refunded in full.

The pre-registration payment itself is non-refundable but transferable: it can be offset against any term within one year of your original application date. A delayed visa need not cost you that money — but it does mean telling the school, in writing, in time.

Do you need a student visa or a residence permit?

For a long programme, yes to both, and the first one catches people out.

• A student visa, before you travel. Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the e-Visa is valid only when the purpose of travel is tourism or commerce, and that other purposes such as study require a regular visa issued by an embassy or consulate. Citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan can enter Türkiye without a visa for a short stay — but that entry does not cover a 33-week diploma, and an e-Visa will not either.
• A residence permit, after you arrive. Applications go through the official e-İkamet system run by the Presidency of Migration Management.

We have not printed processing times or fees here: both change, and neither is published in a form we can cite. Check the official sources below and confirm with the Turkish consulate covering your city.

Official sources, checked 30 August 2026: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Visa Information for Foreigners and the Presidency of Migration Management’s residence permits pages and e-İkamet application system.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an IELTS or TOEFL score?

No. The school states there is no English proficiency examination requirement. Its Admissions Policy recommends B2 so you can follow lessons and take part in class, but you are not asked to sit a test or send a certificate.

How long does the Grand Diplôme take?

33 weeks, across three semesters, at 30 hours a week and more than 900 hours in total. The school describes cuisine and pâtisserie as studied concurrently over 9 to 12 months.

Is the pre-registration payment lost if my visa is refused?

It is non-refundable, but the school states it can be offset against any term within one year of your application date. Tell the school in writing as early as you can, and read the deferment rules above.

Can I apply without a high school diploma?

The published base entry requirement is a high school diploma or an equivalent qualification, but the Admissions Policy says that in certain circumstances the school may accept a student with no formal qualifications. Ask admissions about your own case rather than assuming either answer.

What happens if I miss classes?

The Admissions Policy is strict: you must attend the demonstration to attend the related practical session, and a student absent for more than five sessions in Cuisine, or four in Pâtisserie, will not receive the certificate and must retake and pay for the course again.

Still deciding between schools rather than campuses? Start with our guide to culinary diplomas in Turkey.

Applying with CulinaryDiploma

CulinaryDiploma is an independent admissions agency working under a direct commission agreement with Özyeğin University — not the school itself. You can complete every step above yourself, directly with Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul, at no cost to us and no disadvantage to you.

What we add is sequencing: keeping documents, the payment deadline and the visa appointment in the right order, in Russian as well as English. Free admission guidance covers the application; paid packages cover document preparation, the motivation letter, visa support and arrival. More on our about page.

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