Erasmus Student Network Türkiye

What Erasmus Student Network Türkiye does

Erasmus Student Network Türkiye (ESN Türkiye) is the Turkish national chapter of the pan-European Erasmus Student Network federation, established in 2005 and operating local sections inside Turkish host universities. Its core function is to support inbound international exchange students during their stay in Turkey through onboarding, social integration, buddy programs, and recurring national events such as the National Platform and Erasmus Day. The organisation issues the ESNcard — a discount and benefits card distributed via partner brands in insurance (GIG Sigorta), language learning (Drops), micro-mobility (LINK by Superpedestrian), and accommodation (HostelsClub) — and produces supporting content including the Survival Guide and Memoir publications. Accessibility and inclusion initiatives are delivered through the ExchangeAbility program in partnership with Balya and Innvitee Youth.

The business model is non-commercial: ESN Türkiye is a registered student non-profit funded primarily by ESNcard membership contributions, partner sponsorships, parent-network support, and limited institutional grants. There is no disclosed pricing model, ARR, or commercial revenue line. The organisation is staffed by approximately 77 volunteers, section leaders, and part-time coordinators distributed across local university sections, with no disclosed technology stack beyond the federation's shared branding, social-media presence, and standard chapter operations. Strategic activity in the 2024 academic cycle has centred on broadening the ESNcard partner ecosystem and scaling the ExchangeAbility inclusion initiative rather than on product or geographic expansion.

The addressable market is structurally constrained: it is bounded by the annual inflow of Erasmus+ exchange students into Turkey, which fluctuates with EU programme funding cycles and bilateral university agreements. Within that envelope, ESN Türkiye is the dominant national onboarding and community provider, but the absence of a monetisable software product or proprietary data asset caps any commercial trajectory.

Name

Erasmus Student Network Türkiye

Legal name

Erasmus Student Network Türkiye

Website

https://esnturkey.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Erasmus Student Network Türkiye is a non-profit national chapter, founded in 2005, that supports inbound Erasmus exchange students across Turkish universities through onboarding, social events, the ESNcard benefits program, and accessibility initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Exchange Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Student Advising & Resource Centers (Wraparound Support) (EDAIAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Inbound Exchange Hosting & Visiting Student Administration (EDAIABAK)

Keywords

• Student exchange support
• International student services
• Student discount card
• Youth mobility programs
• Cultural exchange events

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ESN Türkiye is a non-profit volunteer-led student organization that supports Erasmus exchange students in Turkey by delivering the ESNcard discount program, running national and local integration events (such as Med'Ness, Grand Cappadocia, Icekissed, and CHILL'NESS), facilitating partner benefits across insurance, mobility, language-learning, and accommodation services, and coordinating social-impact projects such as ExchangeAbility, Responsible Party, and Eduk8.

Product overview

Erasmus Student Network Türkiye (ESN Türkiye) is a student organization supporting Erasmus exchange students in Turkey. The organization offers the ESNcard as its primary product providing discount benefits to students, along with educational resources like the Survival Guide and Erasmus+ Memoir. ESN Türkiye manages multiple projects including ExchangeAbility (accessibility), Responsible Party (health awareness), and Eduk8 (educational workshops). The organization also coordinates national events such as Med'Ness, Grand Cappadocia, Icekissed, and CHILL'NESS for exchange students across Turkey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ESNcard: An international student card providing discounts and benefits for Erasmus students across Europe
• Med'Ness
• Grand Cappadocia
• Icekissed
• CHILL'NESS
• ExchangeAbiIty
• ESN Turkey Survival Guide
• Erasmus+ in Turkey Memoir

Products and services

• ESNcard A discount and benefits card offered to Erasmus exchange students in Türkiye, providing access to partner discounts across insurance (GIG Sigorta), language learning (Drops), accommodation (HostelsClub), and mobility (LINK by Superpedestrian). It is sold to individual students as a standalone annual membership product.
• Med'Ness A national cultural-integration event organized by ESN Türkiye that gathers Erasmus exchange students around Mediterranean-themed cultural activities. It is delivered as a standalone event experience students can register for.
• Grand Cappadocia A national travel and cultural event organized by ESN Türkiye in the Cappadocia region, providing Erasmus exchange students with a curated group travel and cultural experience. It is delivered as a registered, standalone event experience.
• Icekissed A winter-themed national event organized by ESN Türkiye, providing Erasmus exchange students with a seasonal cultural and community experience. It is delivered as a standalone event experience students can register for.
• CHILL'NESS A national cultural-relaxation event organized by ESN Türkiye, providing Erasmus exchange students with a casual community experience. It is delivered as a standalone event experience students can register for.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GIG SigortacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 June 2024GIG Sigorta (formerly Gulf Sigorta, renamed as of June 25, 2024) is a multinational insurance company operating in Turkey. They offer reasonably priced insurance policies specifically designed for incoming and outgoing Erasmus students in Turkey. The partnership provides insurance coverage to support Erasmus students at every step of their journey, leveraging GIG's international experience and efficient claims network.
• BalyaOthersBalya is listed as a partner of ESN Türkiye. The partnership appears to involve general organizational collaboration, though specific details about the nature of the partnership are not provided.
• DropscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDrops is an award-winning language learning app that has partnered with ESN to offer an exclusive 70% Premium subscription discount to Erasmus students. The app offers more than 47 language options with engaging gameplay, integrating language, culture and education for students.
• EMSA TurkeycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMSA (European Medical Students' Association) Turkey is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation covering 33 FMO members of EMSA in Turkey. ESN Turkey cooperates with EMSA Turkey in campaigns, projects, and capacity building activities. EMSA is recognised by the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the United Nations.
• HostelsClubGTM or Marketing PartnerHostelsClub is an online booking service enabling travelers to book accommodation worldwide. They offer a free premium account to ESN members through provided referral links. The service covers accommodations across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.
• Innvitee YouthOthersInnvitee Youth is listed as a partner of ESN Türkiye. No specific details about the partnership arrangements or services provided are available on the website.
• LINK by SuperpedestrianGTM or Marketing PartnerLINK by Superpedestrian provides cities with safe and advanced small vehicle technologies. They offer urban mobility solutions as part of the partnership with ESN Türkiye. Superpedestrian aims to create safe, green, free-flowing streets with easy access to reliable transportation.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ESN Germany: Largest national chapter of the ESN network, hosting inbound Erasmus students in Germany. Direct sibling organization using the same ESNcard, projects (ExchangeAbility, Responsible Party, Eduk8), and operating model as ESN Türkiye.
• European Student Network (ESN) France: French national ESN chapter operating with the same mission, products, and volunteer structure as ESN Türkiye, serving a comparable inbound international student population in a major Erasmus+ destination.
• ESN Spain: Spanish national chapter of ESN, hosting one of the largest Erasmus+ student populations in Europe. Same operational structure, product stack, and peer-support model, making it a directly comparable national chapter to ESN Türkiye.
• AIESEC: Global youth-led organization running international exchange and internship programs with a strong Türkiye presence. Highly comparable non-profit student exchange model, similar volunteer-driven structure, and overlapping target audience of internationally mobile students.
• Erasmus Intern: Online platform for Erasmus+ traineeships that ESN Türkiye links to from its site. Directly overlaps with ESN Türkiye's internship placement service and is one of ESN's official international partners.
• Erasmus Student Network (ESN International): The parent European student organization that ESN Türkiye operates under. Same mission (international student support, exchange integration), same ESNcard product, and overlapping governance — the national chapter's strategic and operational reference point.
• IAESTE: International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience, operating paid technical internships across 80+ countries. Comparable non-profit exchange infrastructure serving internationally mobile students with employer partnerships.
• ESNcard: The international discount card product that ESN Türkiye distributes and co-brands. Operationally intertwined with ESN Türkiye's member benefits and partner monetization model.

Emerging players

• HostelsClub: Global accommodation booking platform that is an active ESN Türkiye partner offering premium memberships to ESN members. Operates in the student mobility ecosystem and competes for a share of the student accommodation wallet.

Broad incumbents

• EURAXESS: EU-funded pan-European network providing information and support services to internationally mobile researchers and students. Operates as a larger, government-backed incumbent in overlapping international student/mobility support territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/esnturkiye
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ESNTR
• Facebookfacebook.com/esntr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erasmusstudentnetwork-turkey
• Instagraminstagram.com/esnturkiye

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Erasmus Student Network Türkiye