ITU: Türkiye’s Most Sustainable University for 10 Consecutive Years

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) ranked 28th worldwide in the 2026 UI GreenMetric and secured Turkey’s No. 1 spot for the tenth year in a row.

In the 2026 UI GreenMetric Sustainable University Rankings, 2,016 universities from 110 countries were evaluated. Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Türkiye’s pioneer in sustainability, ranked 28th globally.

Just as in the past nine years, ITU has once again made the ITU community proud by securing Türkiye’s top position. ITU ranked 1st in the Central & West Asia region and 16th among European universities. These results align with ITU’s active role in the process leading up to COP31.

The application process for the 2026 UI GreenMetric World Sustainable University Rankings was coordinated by the ITU Sustainability Office. The results were announced on 24 September 2026 at a ceremony hosted by Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU).

Sustainability at ITU

• ITU launched its sustainability efforts in 2013 with the “Green Campus” initiative and has strengthened them each year.
• EELISA (European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance), of which ITU is a founding member, was established in 2019. Demonstrating the potential of transnational cooperation in shaping a sustainable future, the first Sustainability Panel within EELISA was created in 2025. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Börte Köse Mutlu, Coordinator of the ITU Sustainability Office and Director of the Zero Waste Institute, assumed the chair of the panel.
• ITU Sustainability Reports have been published annually since 2020.
• ITU hosts numerous sustainability‑themed events such as the Istanbul Carbon Summit, Clean Energy Days, and Sustainable Ecosystem Days.
• The ITU Sustainability Office was established in 2021.
• Five ITU campuses received the basic‑level Zero Waste Certificate in 2021.
• Since 2022, the ITU Biological Diversity and Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Use Commission has organized the annual ITU BIOBLITZ event, recording the living species on the ITU Ayazağa Campus.
• In 2023, ITU launched the “Sustainability” MSc program — a 100% English, thesis‑based graduate program.
• In 2023, declared as the “Year of Sustainability,” ITU received the “Most Sustainable University in the Middle East” award at the “2023 UI GreenMetric World University Rankings Results and Awards” ceremony held at Abu Dhabi University.
• In 2025, ITU launched an innovative minor program in Sustainability.
• The Zero Waste Institute was established in 2025 through a protocol signed between ITU and the Zero Waste Foundation.
• The “Sustainable Development Handbook,” prepared with contributions from 25 ITU academics, was shared with the public in 2026.
• In 2026, ITU students from various clubs and project teams established ITU CORAL (Collective Resilience Alliance). The Ayazağa Climate Accord was prepared, the ITU COP31 Science Platform was launched, and the ITU Model COP Trial Sessions Series began. NextGenCOP30.5 was organized in collaboration with ITU and the University of Cambridge.
• In 2026, ITU was invited to join the 10th Cohort of the Future17 Global Sustainability Program, becoming the only university from Türkiye selected for this cycle. Future17 brings together 18 universities from around the world to develop innovative solutions aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

About UI GreenMetric

The GreenMetric University Ranking System was launched in 2010 by Universitas Indonesia to draw attention to global climate change, energy and water conservation, waste recycling, and green transportation. UI GreenMetric aims to increase awareness of environmental sustainability as well as the economic and social issues related to sustainability. Each year, it collects numerical data from thousands of universities worldwide based on indicators defined across specific categories. Universities are evaluated according to a single score that reflects their efforts to implement environmentally friendly and sustainable policies and programs.

The ranking provides a comprehensive, data‑driven assessment of campus environmental conditions, sustainability policies, and continuous institutional improvement worldwide. By elevating these critical metrics, university leaders and stakeholders are empowered to take decisive action on climate change. The core aim of the ranking is to drive measurable progress in clean energy adoption, water conservation, circular waste management, green transit, and sustainability research. Ultimately, it seeks to inspire the fundamental behavioral shifts required to secure a sustainable future.