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Istanbul Technical University
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi

Latin: Universitas Technica Istanbulensis
Motto	Contemporary through the Ages
Type	State technical university
Established	1773; 252 years ago (1773)
Rector	İsmail Koyuncu
Academic staff	2,134; professor 501
Students	35,789
Undergraduates	22,281
Postgraduates	13,508
Location	Istanbul , Turkey
Campus	4 urban, 1 suburban, 1 abroad
Colors	Navy blue and honey yellow
Sporting affiliations	Turkish Basketball Division II ITU Hornets (American football) Ünilig Super League
Mascot	Bee

Istanbul Technical University, often called İTÜ, is a well-known university in Istanbul, Turkey. It's one of the oldest technical universities in the world. İTÜ focuses on subjects like engineering, natural sciences, and even social sciences. It's a very important school in Turkey.

In 2024, İTÜ was ranked 95th globally for "Engineering & Technology". It was also ranked 275th worldwide for "Natural Sciences". The university offers many programs, with 92 for undergraduate students and 188 for graduate students. It has a lot of lab space and 12 research centers.

Getting into İTÜ is quite hard. Students need to score very high on the national university entrance exam. Many graduates from İTÜ have won important science awards. Some have even become members of science academies in other countries. The university's basketball team, İTÜ BK, plays in a top Turkish league.

History of İTÜ

Istanbul Technical University has a long and interesting history. It is one of the oldest schools in the world for engineering.

Early Years in the Ottoman Empire

İTÜ was started in 1773 by Sultan Mustafa III. It was part of big changes to modernize the Ottoman Empire. The school was first called the Imperial School of Naval Engineering. It was located in Kasımpaşa and taught people how to build ships and make maps. This was important for the Ottoman Navy.

Later, in 1795, the Imperial School of Military Engineering was opened. This school trained military staff to modernize the Ottoman Army. In 1845, they added a program to train architects. The school's purpose grew over time. By 1909, it became a public engineering school. Its goal was to train civil engineers to help the country grow.

İTÜ in Modern Turkey

By 1928, the school was officially recognized as a university. It taught both engineering and architecture. In 1944, its name changed to Istanbul Technical University. In 1946, it became an independent university. It had different departments for architecture, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering.

Today, İTÜ is a symbol of engineering and architecture education in Turkey. It has been around for over 249 years. The university played a key role in modernizing the Ottoman Empire. It continues to lead in construction, industry, and technology in modern Turkey. Many engineers and architects from İTÜ have helped build Turkey. Some alumni have also become important politicians.

What Students Learn at İTÜ

The Maçka campus of Istanbul Technical University

The Taşkışla campus of Istanbul Technical University

The Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center at the Ayazağa campus

A lecture hall at the Ayazağa campus of İTÜ

The Sky Tram connecting the Maçka and Taşkışla Campuses

İTÜ has different faculties, which are like big departments. Each faculty has several smaller departments. For example, the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering has departments for electrical engineering, control engineering, and electronics and communication engineering.

Here are some of the main faculties and what they teach:

Faculty of Civil Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Geomatics Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
Faculty of Architecture
- Architecture
- Urban and Regional Planning
- Industrial Product Design
- Interior Architecture
- Landscape Architecture
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Control Engineering
- Electronics and Communication Engineering
Faculty of Computer and Informatics
- Computer Engineering
- Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering
- Information Systems Engineering (a joint program)
Faculty of Mines
- Mining Engineering
- Mineral Processing Engineering
- Geological Engineering
- Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
- Geophysical Engineering
Faculty of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
- Food Engineering
- Bioengineering
Faculty of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
- Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
- Shipbuilding and Ocean Engineering
Faculty of Sciences and Letters
- Mathematics Engineering
- Physics Engineering
- Chemistry
- Molecular Biology and Genetics
Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Astronautical Engineering
- Meteorological Engineering
Faculty of Management
- Management Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Economics
Maritime Faculty
- Marine Engineering
- Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering
Faculty of Textile Technologies and Design
- Textile Engineering
- Fashion Design
- Textile Development and Management

İTÜ also has a campus in Northern Cyprus. It offers programs like Computer Engineering, Architecture, and Maritime Business Management there.

Research and Special Centers

İTÜ has many research groups and special centers. These include:

Energy Institute
Institute of Science and Technology
Institute of Informatics
Eurasia Earth Sciences Institutes
Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Genetics Research Center (MOBGAM)
ARI Technopolis (a technology development zone)
Center for Satellite Communications and Remote Sensing
National Center for High Performance Computing
Polar Research Center

İTÜ also has departments not tied to specific faculties. These include the School of Foreign Languages and the State Conservatory of Turkish Classical Music.

Global Recognition and Rankings

University rankings
Global – Overall
ARWU World	701-800 (2023)
QS World	326 (2024)
QS Employability	301-500 (2022)
THE World	501-600 (2024)

Global – Science and engineering
QS Engineering & Tech.	108 (2023)
QS Natural Sciences	255 (2023)

Regional – Overall
QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia	17 (2022)

Many of İTÜ's engineering programs are recognized by ABET. This is a group that checks the quality of engineering programs. The Faculty of Architecture is also recognized by NAAB. To study at İTÜ, students usually need a good score on an English test like TOEFL. Classes are taught in both English and Turkish. Most Master's and Doctorate courses are in English.

İTÜ is known for its engineering sciences in Europe. This means students have many chances to study abroad through programs like Erasmus.

İTÜ is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Turkey. In the QS World University Rankings 2023, İTÜ was among the top universities in many engineering fields. These included Petroleum, Mining, Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering. It also ranked well in Architecture, Computer Science, and Material Sciences.

University rankings
	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
QS World Rankings	326	404	601-650	701-750	751-800	651-700	651-700	601-650
QS Engineering & Technology	TBA	95	108	142	202	218	256	231
QS Natural Sciences	TBA	275	255	303	305	324	342	311
THE World Rankings	TBA	501-600	601-800	601-800	801-1000	601-800	601-800	601-800
THE Engineering & Technology	TBA	301-400	401-500	401-500	501-600	501-600	401-500	401-500

Maslak skyline and the İTÜ Ayazaga Campus to its right

The Ayazaga Campus

The İTÜ Taşkışla Campus

The İTÜ Mustafa Inan Library

The İTÜ Lake in Ayazaga Campus

İTÜ Campuses

İTÜ is a public university. It has six campuses. Five are in important parts of Istanbul, and one is in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus.

The main campus is Maslak, in Sarıyer. It's a large campus, covering 1.6 million square meters. The main university offices, swimming pool, stadium, and most faculties are here. Student dorms and the central library are also on this campus.

The Tuzla Campus is another large campus. It's for students and teachers of the Maritime Faculty. It's located in the Tuzla district of Istanbul, which is a dockyard area.

Three other campuses are in the city, close to Taksim Square.

The Taşkışla campus is where the Faculty of Architecture is located. The Taşkışla building is a famous historical building. It was once a military barracks during the Ottoman times.
The Gümuşsuyu campus houses the Mechanical Engineering Faculty.
The Maçka campus is home to the Management Faculty. Both are important historical buildings.

The Famagusta campus in Northern Cyprus is İTÜ's first campus outside Turkey.

Library and Special Facilities

İTÜ's library has over 533,000 books. It also has many old Ottoman and Latin books. The library can access international libraries and online resources. It has the largest collection of science and engineering materials in Turkey. The central library is named Mustafa Inan Library, after a former rector.

İTÜ also has a special nuclear reactor called Triga Mark-2. It is located at the Energy Institute on the Maslak campus.

Arı Technopolis

Since 2003, Arı Technopolis has been at the Ayazağa Campus. It helps companies with research and technology development. It works with university researchers and teachers. Arı Technopolis is very successful in Turkey.

National High Performance Computing Center

The NHPCC is also on the Ayazağa Campus. It's a national center for powerful computing. Its supercomputer was once among the world's top 500 supercomputers.

Student Life at İTÜ

Sports and Athletics

The İTÜ Stadium at the Ayazağa campus. It hosts football, American football, and athletics, plus concerts.

The large Maslak campus has many sports areas. The Ayazağa Gymnasium is the main sports center. It has a stadium for basketball and volleyball games, with seats for 3500 people. There's also a fitness center.

Basketball is very popular at İTÜ. The İTÜ basketball team has won the Turkish Basketball League Championship five times. They currently play in the Turkish Basketball League's Second Division.

The university also has a football team, which plays in an amateur league. There's a football stadium at Ayazağa.

Students can also use tennis courts and an indoor Olympic swimming pool. An outdoor pool is available for faculty members.

İTÜ's American football team, the ITU Hornets, won the Turkish University Sports Leagues Super League in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.

Other sports and activities include: Badminton, ultimate frisbee, fencing, diving, winter sports, dancing, gymnastics, tennis, paintball, aikido, athletics, mountaineering, bridge, swimming, cycling, triathlon, skiing, parachuting, korfball, handball, iaido, capoeira, wrestling, archery, and sailing.

Social Activities

The İTÜ Lake at the Ayazağa campus

İTÜ offers many ways for students to get involved outside of classes. Popular clubs include the Rock Club, Cinema Club, and Model United Nations. Students can also join the Local Board of European Students of Technology Group to organize events and meet students from other European countries.

İTÜ Model United Nations (ITUMUN)

The Model United Nations Society at İTÜ is very active. Students act as delegates from different countries at UN conferences. They research and present ideas based on the policies of the countries they represent. This helps them develop important skills.

Student Housing

İTÜ has dormitories that can house 3,000 students. These include Lakeside Housings, IMKB Dormitory, Verda Urundul, Ayazaga Dormitory, and Gumussuyu dormitory. More dorms are planned for the future.

Radio İTÜ

Radio İTÜ is the first university radio station in Turkey. It is located in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering building on the Maslak campus.

Concerts and Entertainment

The İTÜ Stadium is a popular place in Istanbul for concerts. Famous artists like Metallica, Justin Timberlake, Roger Waters, and Lady Gaga have performed there.

Notable People from İTÜ

Famous Faculty Members

Many important people have taught at İTÜ, including:

Cahit Arf - A famous mathematician.
Fatih Birol - An expert in economics and energy.
Rudolf Belling - A well-known sculptor.
Mustafa İnan - A civil engineer and former Rector of the university.
Karl von Terzaghi - A civil engineer who founded the study of soil mechanics.
Celâl Şengör - A geologist.

Notable Alumni

Many İTÜ graduates have played a big part in developing Turkey. They have helped build bridges, roads, and buildings. For example, Emin Halid Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda were the architects of Anıtkabir, a famous monument.

Two former presidents of Turkey studied at İTÜ: