ITÜ, short for Istanbul Technical University or “İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi” is the third oldest technical university in the world and one of the most prominent scientific institutions in Turkey. Istanbul Technical University ranked as the second-best Turkish university for the year 2018 and came in at 587th place internationally. It also holds a very high ranking internationally (108) in the field of communications, engineering, and technology according to the QS University Rankings for the year 2009.
Here’s everything you need to know about Istanbul Technical University through this article on “Turkey for Expats.”
History of Istanbul Technical University:
The University was established in 1773 during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan “Mustafa III”, and it was called at the time the “Royal School of Engineering,” and it was dedicated to teaching and training people in cartography and shipbuilding (naval engineering). After 1795, the scope of study began to expand to include training military personnel.
In 1845, the first batch of architects graduated from the institution, and in 1909, the school’s name changed to the “Engineering Academy,” and it was famous for teaching science, technology, arts, and sports, and this focus and excellence in teaching these subjects continued till this day with the only change being the name of the institution which changed to its current name: Istanbul Technical University. This has established the university as one of the most prominent universities in the world when it comes to architecture and various types of engineering.
Services available for students at Istanbul Technical University:
The Technical University owns many buildings, and they are distributed over 6 campuses in Istanbul and surrounding areas.The total area of these campuses is about 214 square kilometers.
The University has 360 laboratories, 13 research centers, and 32 accredited engineering programs. Istanbul Technical University also allows students enrolled in joint international programs to continue their university studies in Turkey and any other country in the world granting them a double degree.
It also includes 144 postgraduate programs.
There are 22,289 students currently enrolled in Technical University, including 5887 postgraduate students. Technical University carries out joint programs with other universities, especially African universities, with the aim of exchanging expertise and academic experiences. Among the universities that Istanbul University sustains academic cooperation with are: the University of Djibouti, the University of Rwanda, the University of Senegal, the University of Morocco, and the University of Tunisia. There is also a large number of African students receiving their higher education at the Technical University.
Istanbul Technical University also has more than 900 student exchange agreements with European Union countries through the “Erasmus” program. It also carries out more than 200 research and development projects in the university’s technology city.

Faculties and departments of Istanbul Technical University:
Faculty of Civil Engineering at Technical University:
Department of Civil engineering.
Department of Geomatics Engineering.
Department of Environmental Engineering.
Faculty of Architecture :
Department of Architecture.
Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
Department of Industrial product design.
Department of Interior Architectural Design.
Department of Landscape Architecture.
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering :
Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Department of Manufacturing Engineering.
Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering:
Department of Electrical Engineering.
Department of Control Engineering.
Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering.
Faculty of Computers and Informatics :
Department of Computer Engineering.
Faculty of Mining Engineering:
Department of Mining Engineering.
Department of Mineral Processing Engineering.
Department of Geological Engineering.
Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering.
Department of Geophysical Engineering.
Faculty of Chemical and Mineral Engineering
Department of Chemical Engineering.
Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering.
Department of Food Engineering.
Faculty of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Department of Marine Structures Engineering and Marine Engineering.
Department of Naval architecture and Marine Engineering.
Faculty of Sciences and Literature
Department of Mathematics Engineering.
Department of Physical Engineering.
Chemistry department.
Department of Modern Biology and Genetics.
Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Department of Aeronautical Engineering.
Department of Astronomy.
Department of Meteorology Engineering.
Faculty of Marine Sciences
Department of Marine Engineering.
Department of river transport and engineering management.
Faculty of Management
Department of Management Engineering.
Department of Industrial Engineering.
Department of Economics.
Faculty of spinning and weaving
Department of Fashion Design.
Department of spinning development and management.
Admission requirements at Istanbul Technical University for foreigners:
Istanbul Technical University is one of the universities approved by the Turkish Ministry of Higher Education “YOK”, and the languages of instruction are English and Turkish. Studying at Istanbul Technical University requires passing the YÖS exam, which is a local test for Turkish universities required by many Turkish universities as a condition for admission.
Tuition fees at Istanbul Technical University:
The cost of the different faculties at Istanbul Technical University is as follows:
The Faculty of Civil Engineering is $12,000 annually.
The Faculty of Architecture costs $19,000 annually.
The Faculty of Computer Engineering costs $ 15,000 annually.
The faculty of Business Administration costs $15,000 annually.
The faculty of English Language costs $7000 annually.
Check the cost of studying in Turkey here
The address of Istanbul Technical University in detail:
Ayazaga Yerleskesi yeni Rektörlük Binasi Kat: 2, Maslak, Sariyer
The official website of Istanbul Technical University: https://www.itu.edu.tr/
The “Turkey for Expats” team hopes that you found this article helpful and allowed you to know more about Istanbul Technical University. If you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Read about Istanbul Technical University in Arabic