Galatasaray Lisesi

Located in Istanbul, Turkey, Galatasaray is heir to five centuries of uninterrupted education history which started in 1481 with the establishment of an educational institution at the present site of the “Galatasaray High School" for the purpose of preparing young men for high-level public service. The 152 year old school, originally named “Galata Sarayi Enderun Mektebi" (Galata Palace Imperial School) is one of the oldest establishments of its kind in the world. Admission to the school is top tier.

After providing valuable services to the Ottoman state for over 350 years, it underwent a modernization process and adopted the French secondary education system in 1868. Up till the end of the First World War in 1918, the school welcomed a diverse student body of different religious and ethnic groups constituting the population of the Ottoman Empire, such as Turks, Arabs, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Levantines, Bulgarians, Albanians. Many of the graduates of this period, coming from various communities, became prominent statesmen, educators, bureaucrats and writers in Turkey as well as in their home countries.

With the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the name was changed to its current name “Galatasaray Lisesi" and it became co-educational in 1965. Ataturk visited the campus twice, showing his special interest, as well as all other Presidents of Turkey,to date. Galatasaray has been, since 1992, part of an integrated K-12 educational system consisting of the Galatasaray Primary School, Galatasaray High School and the Galatasaray University, creating an active community both inside and outside of Turkey. The influence of the graduates of Galatasaray High School on the rise of modern Turkey has been enormous.

In the modern era, as the need for administrators, diplomats, businessmen, scientists and other groups in accordance with Western norms became increasingly important, the graduates of Galatasaray came to play a preponderant role in diverse fields in the Republic of Turkey. Galatasaray High School’s Principal is Professor Dr. Vahdettin Engin who is an alum. He is a professor of History at the Marmara University, the College of Education and has several publications on Turkish and Ottoman History as well as two books on the history of the School. The Principal of the High School is an honorary member of the Board of the Galatasaray Sports Club who has twenty five million supporters which is about thirty two percent of the population.

Our vision is to be an institution that has gained respect due to its contribution to sciences, social responsibility initiatives, international partnerships and alumni, and be a positive influence on the future of humanity.

Our mission is to educate individuals to develop solidarity, to question thinking from the past in order to contribute to society’s development and evolution, and who support the entrepreneurial spirit. The students of the high school are individuals who adopt social responsibility and universal academic values by merging the Galatasaray tradition, based on equality and diversity, with the knowledge, skills, and talents required by the contemporary world.