ITU Ranks in the World’s Top 5 for “Quality Education” in Sustainable Development

According to the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, ITU ranked among the world’s top 100 universities in 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The university achieved an outstanding 4th place globally in the goal “Quality Education.”

Based on the 2026 results, Istanbul Technical University ranked 67th among 1,603 universities worldwide with a score of 91.1, maintaining its position within the global top 100 for the fourth consecutive year.

In the THE–Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings, ITU has consistently ranked among the world’s top 5 for the SDG 4, “Quality Education,” for the past three years. The university’s 4th place worldwide in 2026 demonstrates ITU’s strong commitment to delivering and expanding high‑quality, accessible, and inclusive education.

The key drivers behind ITU’s sustained success in “Quality Education” include:

• ITU’s research‑ and development‑oriented educational infrastructure
• Training future‑ready professionals through innovative Sustainability Minor and Sustainability Master’s, and Zero Waste Master’s programs
• Providing lifelong learning opportunities to diverse segments of society
• Extending ITU’s educational impact beyond campus through collaborations with schools, local communities, and various stakeholders
• Ensuring equal opportunity in access to education

ITU is an institution that combines academic excellence with social responsibility, aims to make quality education accessible to all, and prepares its students to become individuals who contribute value to society. Its achievement of ranking among the world’s top 5 in “Quality Education” for three consecutive years is a clear indicator of the international recognition of this approach.

Through units such as the Sustainability Office and the Zero Waste Institute, ITU contributes to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

ITU’s impact‑ and responsibility‑oriented sustainable research vision—prioritizing digital and green transformation—translates into concrete collaborations that support the SDGs.

With on‑campus co‑creation laboratories and partnerships such as the EELISA European University, ITU expands its contributions to sustainable development on an international scale.

ITU researchers lead projects in critical fields such as polar studies, zero waste, new energy technologies, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and quantum technologies.

ITU students established ITU CORAL (Collective Resilience Alliance) to support preparations for the COP 31 Antalya meeting and publicly announced the Ayazağa Climate Accord.

Hosting Türkiye’s largest number of student clubs and project teams, ITU continues to strengthen extracurricular learning environments as well as sports and social facilities. The Olympic Track and the National Technology Workshop, opened in 2026, have further enhanced the infrastructure supporting student activities.

In addition to research and education, ITU continues efforts to explore and protect the natural ecosystem. The Ayazağa Campus—one of the world’s most sustainable and green campuses and home to initiatives such as rainwater harvesting—has hosted the annual Bio Blitz (Species Count) event since 2022. In early 2026, the “Sustainable Future for the ITU Pond” Project Competition was launched and its results published.

In the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, ITU ranked in the top 50 not only in Goal 4 but also in Goals 1, 8, and 11:

• SDG 4 (Quality Education): 4th worldwide
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): 25th worldwide
• SDG 1 (No Poverty): 46th worldwide
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): 48th worldwide

Additionally, ITU ranked between 50–100 in Goals 9, 5, 2, 14, and 6:

• SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): 62nd worldwide
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): 74th worldwide
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): 75th worldwide
• SDG 14 (Life Below Water): 87th worldwide
• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): 100th worldwide

The 2026 THE Sustainability Impact Rankings evaluate universities’ contributions to sustainable development across 17 goals using indicators related to research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching. Compared to previous years, the scope of the ranking has been expanded, and the concept of “Sustainability” has been explicitly incorporated into its title.