Istanbul Technical University, also known asTechnical University of Istanbul (Turkish:İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, commonly referred to asİTÜ), is apublictechnical university located inIstanbul,Turkey. It is the world's third-oldesttechnical university dedicated to engineering and natural sciences as well as social sciences recently.[10]
İTÜ is ranked 79th globally and first in Turkey in the field of Engineering and Technology, as well as 182nd globally and first in Turkey in the field of Natural Sciences, according to theQS World University Rankings for 2025.[11] The university has 92 undergraduate programs and 188 graduate programs in 14 faculties, 277,160 m2 of laboratory space, and 12 research centers.[3]
Considered as the world's third institution of higher learning specifically dedicated to engineering education, Istanbul Technical University (ITU) has a long and distinguished history. ITU was founded in 1773 by SultanMustafa III, as an important institution in theNizam-ı Cedid reforms,[12] as theImperial School of Naval Engineering (Ottoman Turkish:Mühendishâne-i Bahrî-i Hümâyun),[13] in theKasımpaşa quarter on theGolden Horn, originally dedicated to train ship builders and cartographers for theOttoman Navy. In 1795 theImperial School of Military Engineering (Ottoman Turkish:Mühendishâne-i Berrî-i Hümâyun) was established in the nearbyHasköy quarter on the Golden Horn, and the scope of the school was broadened to train technical military staff for the modernization of theOttoman Army.[12][13] In 1845 the engineering function of the school was further widened with the addition of a program devoted to the training of architects. The scope and name of the school were extended and changed again in 1883, and in 1909 the school became a public engineering school which was aimed at training civilengineers who could provide the infrastructure for the rapidly developing country.
By 1928 the institution had gained formal recognition as a university of engineering which provided education in both engineering and architecture. In 1944 the name of the institution was changed to Istanbul Technical University and in 1946 the institution became an autonomous university witharchitecture, civil, mechanical, and electricalengineering faculties.
With its long history of 251 years, its modern teaching environment, and well-qualified teaching staff, Istanbul Technical University today is the personification ofengineering and architectural education in Turkey. Istanbul Technical University not only played a leading role in the modernization movement of theOttoman Empire, but has also maintained its leadership position in the changes and innovations taking place in the construction, industrialization, and technological realms during the modern days of the Turkish Republic. Engineers and architects trained at Istanbul Technical University have played significant roles in the construction of Turkey. Alumni also played a significant role in Turkish politics.
Maçka campus of Istanbul Technical UniversityTaşkışla campus of Istanbul Technical UniversitySüleyman Demirel Cultural Center at theAyazağa campus of Istanbul Technical UniversityLecture Hall at theAyazağa campus of ITUSky Tram between the Maçka and Taşkışla Campuses of Istanbul Technical University
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Advanced Research Center
Finally, ITU also has the following departments / educational institutes that are not tied to any of the faculties, but serve as independent departments. These include
26 engineering departments of ITU are accredited byAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).[30] Also ITU's Faculty of Architecture is accredited byNAAB[31] and the Faculty of Maritime is accredited byIMO. Minimum score of 72 fromTOEFL IBT, or success in the English proficiency exam is one of the prerequisites to register the Bachelor, Master, or Doctorate level courses at ITU. Instruction is offered in both English and Turkish, with approximately 30% of courses conducted in English and 70% in Turkish, while some disciplines are taught entirely in English. Master and Doctorate courses are mostly held in English. ITU is highly reputable institution in the area of engineering sciences within the Europe.[32] Therefore, the university provides a broad range of options, that involve highly reputable institutions, to its students for theErasmus Mobility.[33]
Istanbul Technical University is consistently featured as one of the highest-ranked universities in Turkey.[32] In theQS World University Rankings 2023, ITU is ranked within the top 150 universities in the subject areas "Engineering - Petroleum", "Engineering - Mineral & Mining", "Engineering - Civil and Structural", "Engineering - Electrical and Electronics", "Engineering - Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing", within the top 250 in "Engineering - Chemical", "Architecture & Built Environment", "Computer Science and Information Systems", "Material Sciences", within the top 300 in "Environmental Sciences", "Mathematics", "Business and Management", "Chemistry", and within the top 450 in "Physics and Astronomy", "Economics and Econometrics.[32]
Maslak skyline and the ITU Ayazağa Campus to its rightAyazağa CampusITU Taşkışla CampusITU Lake in Ayazağa Campus
ITU is apublic university. It has six campuses, five of which are located in the most important areas ofIstanbul and one is located inFamagusta.[66] Among ITU's six campuses, the main campus ofMaslak, inSarıyer,[67] is a suburban campus, covering a total area of 1.600.000 m². The University Rectorate, swimming pool, stadium, along with most of the faculties, student residence halls and the central library of ITU are located there.
Another suburban campus of ITU is the Tuzla Campus. It serves the Maritime Faculty students and faculty members. It is located in the Tuzla district ofIstanbul, which is a dockyard area.
The three urban campuses are near to one another and are situated close toTaksim Square.
Taşkışla campus is where the Faculty of Architecture is located. TheTaşkışla building is one of the most renowned historical buildings in Istanbul. It dates backs to theOttoman era and was used asmilitary barracks.
The Gümüşsuyu campus, home to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and the Maçka campus, housing the Faculty of Management, are both located in historically significant buildings in Istanbul.
The Famagusta campus atNorthern Cyprus is currently the first and only campus that hosts the ITU TRNC Education and Research Campuses faculty.
The library at ITU houses approximately 533,000 books, 500,000 volumes of periodicals, and 6,000 rareOttoman andLatin books. ITU Library has access to international libraries and online databases and boasts the largest collection of technical materials in Turkey, particularly in science and engineering. TheMustafa Inan Library, named afterMustafa İnan, a former rector of the university, serves as the central library and coordination center for the university's library services. The history of ITU Library Services dates back to 1795, originating from the printing house of theMühendishâne-i Berrî-i Hümâyun of the Ottoman Empire.
Since the foundation in 2003[69]Arı Technopolis, which is located at the Ayazağa Campus, provides companies with research, technology development and production opportunities at the university, in cooperation with the researchers and academicians. The technopolis have two buildings:Arı-1 and Arı-2. Arı-3 building in Maslak and another building in Floria are announced to build. Arı Technopolis has the 49% of export among technopolises in Turkey.[70]
NHPCC, is located in the Ayazağa Campus. It is the national center for high performance computing. The super computer of this center was one of the world's top 500 list super computers (240th).[71]
Having a suburban campus like Maslak has created the opportunity of building many sports areas. Ayazağa Gymnasium is the center of sports in ITU. Ayazağa Gymnasium also has a stadium with aseating capacity of 3500 for basketball and volleyball matches. A fitness center is also located there.
Basketball matches are among the most important sports activities in ITU. The ITU basketball Team, which won theTurkish Basketball League Championship five times, currently plays in the Turkish Basketball League's Second Division (TB2L). Ayazağa Gymnasium is the home of the ITU Basketball Team.
Despite the successes in basketball, the football team of ITU plays in the amateur league. A footballstadium is also located in Ayazağa, where the football team plays its matches.
Tennis courts and an indoor Olympic swimming pool, which is opened in May 2007, are also available in the Ayazağa Campus. An open-air swimming pool serves the ITU faculties.
ITU's American football team ITU Hornets has won the Unilig (Turkish University Sports Leagues) Super League of American football in the 2013-2014 season and in 2014-2015 season.
Other sports clubs and activities in ITU are badminton, ultimate, fencing, diving, winter sports, dancing and gymnastics, tennis, paintball, aikido, athletics, mountaineering, bridge, swimming, cycling and triathlon, skiing, parachuting, korfball, handball, iaido, capoeira, wrestling, archery, ultimate frisbee and sailing.
ITU offers many options to students who like doingextra-curricular work during their studying years. The most popular ones are Rock Club, Cinema Club, Model United Nations, EPGIK, International Engineering Club. Also ITU has an option for those who like to organise events and socialise with people from various European countries in the Local Board of European Students of Technology Group which had 40 members in 2007. Despite all these, it can still be a little quiet in the campus from time to time because students can choose the city ofIstanbul over the campus life.
Model United Nations Society of ITU is one of the most active student clubs in the University. Participating in MUN conferences regularly, both domestic and international, MUN society offers an opportunity for personal development.
Model United Nations is a conference where students participate as United Nations delegates. Participants research and formulate political positions based on the actual policies of the countries they represent.
ITU dormitories have a capacity of 3,000 students. They include Lakeside Housings, IMKB Dormitory, Verda Urundul, Ayazağa Dormitory and Gumussuyu dormitory.[72]
Radio ITU (or Technical UniversityRadio[73]) is the firstuniversity radio station inTurkey.[74] Radio ITU is located in the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering building onMaslakcampus.
Many of the graduates take role in the development of Turkey, with many of them playing significant roles in constructing bridges, roads and buildings. For instance,Emin Halid Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda are architects ofAnıtkabir.Süleyman Demirel (in Civil Engineering) andTurgut Özal (in Electrical Engineering) are the two former presidents of Turkey.Necmettin Erbakan (in Mechanical Engineering) andBinali Yıldırım (in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering) were former prime ministers of Turkey.
^"World University Rankings 2024".Times Higher Education. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved27 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Contact". Istanbul Technical University. Archived fromthe original on 2019-07-08. Retrieved2019-07-09.İTÜ International Office Ayazaga Campus Registrator's Office Building Maslak 34469 Sarıyer/Istanbul