Year of Foundation

1888

Number of Students

614

Number of Graduates

Grade Levels

5 levels: Prep and four years of high school

Number of Teachers

82 teachers in 2024-2025 Academic Year

125 including office staff

Number of Graduates Since Establishment

6730

Average Class Size

Prep level 20 (The class size varies between 20-22 based on the grade level).

Number of Boarding Students

Total 140, Girls: 65; Boys : 75

IB Diploma Programme

Tarsus American College was authorized to offer the IB Diploma Program in 2004 and continues to offer the international diploma as the only IBDP school in the Meditteranean region. At the end of grade 9, students decide about whether they would like to pursue the IB program starting from their grade 10 year. With the successful completion of a two-year program in grades 10 and 11, they graduate with two diplomas: national high school diploma and the international IB diploma.

CIS Accreditation

Our school applied in 2004 for an accreditation by European Council of International Schools (ECIS), the accrediting institution at that time, being one of the first schools in Turkey to receive accreditation. What makes CIS important for education is its emphasis on ongoing improvement, rather than achieving a quality standard. TAC’s accreditation, in this light, was renewed in 2006, 2011 and in 2016.

Academic Departments

Turkish Language and Literature, English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Second Foreign Languages, Physical Education, Arts and Computer Science

Electives

The electives offered by Tarsus American College are distributed according to the Turkish Ministry approved course distribution schedule. These elective courses are offered to students on the basis of their interests, talents and future career goals.

School Hours

Classes start at 8:30. They end at different times depending on the day.

The lunch break is 45 minutes.

Language of Instruction

Cultural courses are taught in Turkish. In addition to the core English courses, Science and Math lessons, as well as some electives, are offered in English.

Second Foreign Language Options

German, French, Spanish

Student Admission

Prep Program

TAC Prep English is designed to help each and every student who is accepted to the school develop the skills needed to be successful in grade 9.  The primary focus is on English language skill development and students take 23 hours of English language instruction.

 A central part of the Prep year is the development of organizational skills, study habits, critical thinking strategies, and the ability to transfer skills from one setting to another. The development of these skills is embedded in the construction of individual classroom activities as well as a guiding principal of the Prep Field Day activities. 

Cities Where TAC’s Boarding Students Come From

Adana, Aksaray, Ankara, Antalya, Balikesir, Bursa, Diyarbakir, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Isparta, İstanbul, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Karabük / Safranbolu, Kars, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mersin (Anamur, Mut, Silifke, Mersin), Muğla, Nevşehir, Niğde, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Şirnak, Sivas, Tunceli, Uşak, Van, Zonguldak

Traditional School Activities and Extra-Curriculars

Projects with Sister Schools, English Lessons fort he School Staff, Turkish Lessonbs for young Syrian Immigrants, Bookmobile, Golden Stickler Film Festival, Science Fair and Social Studies Fair, Field trips to NASA and CERN, Turkish International Model United Nations (TIMUN), The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN), International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA), Destination Imagination (DI), Duke of Edinburgh Certificate program, Science Knowledge Bowl, Philosophy Day, Science/Social Studies/Leadership/Community Service Fairs of all SEV american High Schools, Founders’ Day, Turkish debate tournaments, Vodafone Music Contest

Some External Contests and Exams Which Our Students Attend

 TUBİTAK Contests, Public Speaking Contests, IELTS, Avrupa Dil Pasaportu

 sınavları (DELF, FIT), SAT, PSAT, Hypatia, Music Contests, Photography Contest,  

 Michigan Exam, Matematic Exam (Pascal-Cayley-Fermat and Freyer-Glois-Hypatia)

Some Examples of Community Service Projects

 Spending time with child oncology patients in hospitals

 Building a cat shelter as part of the Tarsus Animal Shelter  and cleaning in Tarsus/Adana and Mersin animal shelters

 Spending time and sharing with the senior residents of the Senior Residents Homes and Centers in Tarsus, Mersin and Adana

 Bookmobile trips to Kaleburcu, Kargılı, Kelahmet and Kamberhüyüğü Village Schools

  Organizing a graduation ceremony for the Kargılı Village middle school

 Organizing fundraisers for the needs of the Kaleburcu, Kargılı, Kelahmet and Kamberhüyüğü village  school and supporting the school

 Offering mathematics, English, science, Turkish, Life Skills, music, dance and sports courses to the neighboring Hasan Karamehmet state school

 Sports activities with children with physical disabilities

Popular post-secondary programs of choice by TAC graduates  

 1. Engineering

 2. Administrations Sciences

 3. Medicine

 4. Law

Most popular Turkish universities byTAC graduates

 1. KOÇ UNIVERSITY                                                                                5. SABANCI UNIVERSITY

 2. İSTANBUL BİLGİ UNIVERSITY                                                           

 3. BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY

4. İSTANBUL TEKNİK UNIVERSITY

4. YEDİTEPE UNIVERSITY

Rate of students who are placed into state universities, or into private universities on scholarship

 73%

Rate of students who choose to study overseas

About 27%

Annual tuition fees (2021-2022)

 140.200.- TL

Annual boarding fees

 7-day boarding 65.200.- TL (is added to the yearly tuition fees)

 5-day boarding 46.550.- TL (is added to the yearly tuition fees)

 The boarding fees include 3 meals per day.