Galatasaray University student says Erasmus visa application rejected over headscarf

A Galatasaray University student in Istanbul who was accepted for an Erasmus exchange program at Sorbonne University in France said her long-stay student visa application was not accepted because her biometric photograph showed her wearing a headscarf.

The student, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu that she was asked to provide a photograph with her head uncovered and that three separate visa applications were unsuccessful.

She said other students wearing headscarves had obtained French visas during the same period, arguing that she had faced inconsistent treatment.

"I have friends who received visas during the same period. They submitted photographs wearing headscarves. I was told that my photograph was not accepted because of my headscarf. There is a contradiction," she said.

The student, who had qualified to study at Sorbonne University and receive Erasmus funding, said she applied three times through VFS Global, France's authorized visa service provider in Türkiye.

She said her first application was rejected on grounds related to doubts about her stay in France, despite having submitted documents showing that her accommodation and academic program had been arranged under Erasmus.

She applied for a second time alongside a friend, whose application was approved while hers was rejected again, she said.

The student said she suspected her headscarf was the reason and submitted a third application because she wanted written proof of the grounds for the decision.

"I wanted to see the reason in their own words, in a verifiable and written form," she said.

"I followed up on the process through correspondence and other means, and eventually they had to give me a signed document stating that they wanted a photograph with my head uncovered."

She said her file, which had been sent through VFS Global to the French Consulate General in Istanbul, was returned with a document dated Sept. 14, 2026, titled "Attestation de retour d’un dossier."

According to the student, the document stated that the photograph needed to show her "tete nue," or with her head uncovered.

'An academic opportunity I had earned was taken away'

The student said studying at Sorbonne would have been an important opportunity for her academic career and that losing it had affected her deeply.

"I was very excited that Sorbonne would be on my CV. I thought it would open other doors for me as well. It felt terrible to have an opportunity I had earned taken away from me like this. I was very upset," she said.

She said being directly asked to remove her headscarf left her feeling forced to choose between her religious practice and an academic opportunity.

"Taking off my headscarf is not possible for me, but the person in front of me expects me to do it. You are forced to choose between two things," she said.

"You also get angry that the person in front of you feels entitled to ask such a thing of you."

The student said she shared her experience publicly not to seek support on social media but to make other students aware of what they could face and bring the issue to the attention of authorities.

"There is an achievement here. I am not going to be ashamed of my achievement. Nor am I going to hide my success because I wear a headscarf," she said.

"There are many students wearing headscarves at Galatasaray University and other French-language universities. Our language of instruction is 100% French. Naturally, we want to attend universities in France. If I earned a place at Sorbonne, why should I have to go to another country?"

After three unsuccessful applications, the student said she does not plan to apply again but wants the issue resolved for students who may face similar circumstances in the future.

"If there is a rule, the authorities should explain it clearly. Everyone should know what they will face," she said.

"Visa center staff should also be told how students should be treated. We should not have to endure the arbitrary attitude of an individual employee."