Turkish universities climb global rankings, from ITU to Bahçeşehir and Yakın Doğu

The QS World University Rankings 2027 placed MIT first, Imperial College London second and Stanford third globally. Istanbul Technical University (ITU) was ranked 279th, becoming the highest‑ranked Turkish institution and overtaking Koç University and METU in the list.

The University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) for 2025‑2026 reported that Atatürk University advanced to world rank 879 and rose to 8th place among Turkish universities, highlighting gains in citation impact and international collaboration.

Times Higher Education’s Sustainability Impact Rankings 2026 named Bahçeşehir University (BAU) the top Turkish university and 59th worldwide. BAU also achieved world‑wide positions of 6th in quality education and 2nd in gender equality.

The same THE impact assessment ranked Yakın Doğu University 39th globally, the leading institution in both Turkey and Cyprus. It placed 3rd worldwide in partnerships, 8th in sustainable cities, 11th in quality education, 32nd in health and well‑being, and 71st in gender equality.