This study aims at investigating language learner strategies deployed by 275 Turkish university students at English Language Teaching Department and seeks for possible differences in strategy uses of learners with different educational backgrounds. The theoretical framework of the study was informed by Oxford’s taxonomy (1990) and SILL was implemented as a data collection tool. The findings of the study parallel previous studies conducted in Turkey, in that Turkish university students mostly employ compensation and metacognitive strategies. The present study goes beyond this and reveals that educational background is a factor influencing the strategy choice: more experienced learners have wider range of strategy repertoire and use compensation and cognitive strategies significantly greater than less experienced learners. This article introduces the educational backgrounds of experienced learners as a sample of English language learning that promotes the use of language learner strategies.