Admission to Galatasaray High School is determined through nationwide entrance examinations, with successful candidates representing the top 0.03% of students.

The institution integrates elements of Turkish and French educational curricula, providing instruction in both languages and upholding a longstanding tradition of academic rigor.

The sultan often roamed the city, disguised as an ordinary citizen and legend has it that on one of these rambles he found a garden in Galata filled with beautiful red and yellow roses.

Gül Baba explained that he was happy with the city, his rose garden and the reign of the Sultan, but he would be even happier if there was a school which would educate students from this diverse range of backgrounds, as this would train the wise men needed to serve such a large Empire.

He told the Sultan he would be proud to serve as a teacher in this school in order to create a generation of valuable subjects for the Empire.

When the Ottoman army went to war, dervishes and minstrels accompanied it to provide prayers and entertainment but also armed themselves and joined in the fighting when necessary.

Galata Palace Imperial School remained open until the 1830s, when the Tanzimat movement for reform and reorganisation drastically altered the Ottoman Empire's old establishment.

The signing of the Turkish-French Bilateral Agreement of 1992 led to the foundation of Galatasaray University which essentially grew out of the Lycée.

Many graduates of the High School continue their education at Galatasaray University, where 25 percent of the enrolment quota is reserved for them.

The current curriculum consists of a blend of Turkish and French curricula, plus a number of additional language courses and elective subjects.

The students set up an English Club in 1997, which also started to participate in the Harvard Model United Nations Conferences and the European Youth Parliament's International Sessions and other events through the year.