Best universities in Turkey 2026

Discover the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 and explore which universities in Turkey rank the highest.
This list reveals the best universities and colleges in Turkey, according to the trusted THE World University Rankings 2026.
Universities across Turkey are scored in areas such as teaching, research and international outlook.
It uses a robust methodology, created by the in-house data team, that is relied upon by students, academics, policymakers and industry leaders worldwide.

December 15 2025

Top universities in Turkey 2026

Turkey Rank 2026	WUR Rank 2026	University	Overall	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook
1	301–350	Koç University	51.6–54.2	34.6	41.9	70.6	91.2	59.2
=2	351–400	Middle East Technical University	49.9–51.5	46.4	44.8	52.2	90.2	57.7
=2	351–400	Sabancı University	49.9–51.5	33	38.8	67.5	99	65.6
4	401–500	Boğaziçi University	46.2–49.8	32.9	36.1	60.9	94	61.6
5	501–600	Istanbul Technical University	43.6–46.1	39.7	41.7	50.4	93	44.1
=6	601–800	Bilkent University	39.0–43.5	28.4	35.5	51.3	99.5	63.2
=6	601–800	Kadir Has University	39.0–43.5	19.4	31.7	67.1	32.8	56.1
=6	601–800	Yıldız Technical University	39.0–43.5	33.1	31.6	48.5	72.9	39.5
=9	801–1000	Abdullah Gül University	35.5–38.9	22.2	27.2	54.9	56.9	49.8
=9	801–1000	Atatürk University	35.5–38.9	29.5	28	51.8	29	36.7
=9	801–1000	Bahçeşehir University	35.5–38.9	19	22.9	59.4	34	60.6
=9	801–1000	Cankaya University	35.5–38.9	15.9	15.9	80.9	20.5	51.2
=9	801–1000	Hacettepe University	35.5–38.9	34.8	28.6	49	58.7	27
=9	801–1000	Istanbul Medipol University	35.5–38.9	33	29.4	42.6	54.6	65.5
=9	801–1000	Ozyegin University	35.5–38.9	20.6	30.7	47.8	80.9	58.2
=16	1001–1200	Anadolu University	32.1–35.4	23.4	10.8	62.6	22.1	33.4
=16	1001–1200	Bartin University	32.1–35.4	13.7	14.3	69.5	18.5	41.3
=16	1001–1200	Firat University	32.1–35.4	24.4	13.9	57	32.7	38.3
=16	1001–1200	Istanbul Gelisim University	32.1–35.4	12.8	9.4	71.7	16.2	60.7
=16	1001–1200	Izmir Institute of Technology	32.1–35.4	31.1	29.8	32.2	60.4	38.1
=16	1001–1200	Selçuk University	32.1–35.4	32.1	23.7	37.9	67.1	33.6
=16	1001–1200	İstinye University	32.1–35.4	12.9	18.4	61.1	17.4	76.6
=23	1201–1500	Akdeniz University	27.3–32.0	25.1	26.3	38.2	60.9	25.5
=23	1201–1500	Ankara University	27.3–32.0	35.5	17	41.3	35.5	33.3
=23	1201–1500	Biruni University	27.3–32.0	14.7	11.3	58.8	17.9	56.4
=23	1201–1500	Duzce University	27.3–32.0	19.3	20.1	48.3	56.6	29.9
=23	1201–1500	Ege University	27.3–32.0	35	14	34.2	51.3	27.1
=23	1201–1500	Erciyes University	27.3–32.0	25	13.6	43	41	34.3
=23	1201–1500	Gazi University	27.3–32.0	27.3	19.6	37.1	69.5	24.5
=23	1201–1500	Gebze Technical University	27.3–32.0	24.9	22.5	40	37.3	40.5
=23	1201–1500	Inönü University	27.3–32.0	23.1	15.5	52.6	31.6	22.6
=23	1201–1500	Istanbul Medeniyet University	27.3–32.0	19.2	10.9	53.6	18.5	28
=23	1201–1500	Istanbul University	27.3–32.0	32.2	25.6	33.2	56.8	38.4
=23	1201–1500	Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa	27.3–32.0	30.3	21.2	39.1	63.6	27.5
=23	1201–1500	Necmettin Erbakan University	27.3–32.0	37.5	15.2	37.3	23.3	40.7
=23	1201–1500	Sakarya University	27.3–32.0	21.8	13.8	49.7	26.7	33.2
=23	1201–1500	Süleyman Demirel University	27.3–32.0	27.6	11.5	43.8	24	25.4
=23	1201–1500	TOBB University of Economics and Technology	27.3–32.0	20	14.7	40.9	67.5	41.1
=23	1201–1500	University of Health Sciences, Turkey	27.3–32.0	45.7	10.6	27.3	17.5	28.8
=23	1201–1500	Yaşar University	27.3–32.0	21.5	11.8	57.8	21.1	43.1
=41	1501+	Acıbadem University	10.3–27.2	27.3	12.4	29	26.4	37
=41	1501+	Adana Alparslan Türkeş Science and Technology University	10.3–27.2	13.7	10.4	31.5	17.2	22.9
=41	1501+	Adıyaman University	10.3–27.2	13	10.1	33.5	16.8	28
=41	1501+	Afyon Kocatepe University	10.3–27.2	16.5	9.8	26.4	22.5	26.5
=41	1501+	Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University	10.3–27.2	29.8	11.8	13.1	24.6	23.3
=41	1501+	Aksaray University	10.3–27.2	14.8	9.3	24.1	18.2	28.9
=41	1501+	Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University	10.3–27.2	16.4	10.3	20	16.4	27.2
=41	1501+	Altınbaş University	10.3–27.2	17.6	11.7	30.3	24.1	54.5
=41	1501+	Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University	10.3–27.2	20.1	13.1	29.5	22.5	31
=41	1501+	Atılım University	10.3–27.2	16	11.5	32.6	24.1	46.4
=41	1501+	Aydın Adnan Menderes University	10.3–27.2	28.4	20.3	20	20.4	22.9
=41	1501+	Balıkesir University	10.3–27.2	14.6	9.9	15.7	21	20.7
=41	1501+	Başkent University	10.3–27.2	20.8	11.8	19	24.6	23.1
=41	1501+	Beykent University	10.3–27.2	14.4	8.3	21.9	17.4	27.3
=41	1501+	Bezmiâlem Vakif University	10.3–27.2	37.8	12	26.1	22.9	28.6
=41	1501+	Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University	10.3–27.2	16.3	10.2	31.7	21.7	37.9
=41	1501+	Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University	10.3–27.2	17.1	9.7	29.2	19	38
=41	1501+	Bozok University	10.3–27.2	13.6	10	26.7	17.1	30.5
=41	1501+	Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University	10.3–27.2	12.6	9.6	34.9	18.9	23.5
=41	1501+	Bursa Technical University	10.3–27.2	13.6	8.7	23.3	22.8	34.5
=41	1501+	Bursa Uludağ University	10.3–27.2	19.3	10.2	23.4	26.5	36
=41	1501+	Cukurova University	10.3–27.2	22.3	13.8	32.5	33.7	29.8
=41	1501+	Dicle University	10.3–27.2	23.9	9.6	18.2	22.4	25
=41	1501+	Dokuz Eylül University	10.3–27.2	27.7	15.9	27.2	64.6	30.8
=41	1501+	Dumlupinar University	10.3–27.2	11.5	10.6	25.1	19.4	39.2
=41	1501+	Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University	10.3–27.2	13	9.1	38.1	18.1	25.6
=41	1501+	Eskişehir Osmangazi University	10.3–27.2	20.6	22.6	26.3	24.6	27
=41	1501+	Eskişehir Technical University	10.3–27.2	20.7	9.8	23.1	23	23.7
=41	1501+	Gaziantep University	10.3–27.2	19	12.4	33.5	23.5	43.2
=41	1501+	Giresun University	10.3–27.2	12.2	9.2	29.3	16.7	23.9
=41	1501+	Harran University	10.3–27.2	16.8	9.9	48.1	19.1	27.7
=41	1501+	Hatay Mustafa Kemal University	10.3–27.2	14.6	9.4	21.8	18.1	21.9
=41	1501+	Hitit University	10.3–27.2	22.7	10.7	15.7	17.8	29
=41	1501+	Istanbul Aydın University	10.3–27.2	21.2	10	35	18.4	56.8
=41	1501+	Istanbul Bilgi University	10.3–27.2	16.3	11.1	38	17.2	53.5
=41	1501+	Istanbul Okan University	10.3–27.2	26.5	11	34.1	17.8	58.4
=41	1501+	Izmir University of Economics	10.3–27.2	16.9	15.6	34.6	39.2	31.6
=41	1501+	Karabük University	10.3–27.2	15.6	9.8	45.6	18.7	50.8
=41	1501+	Karadeniz Technical University	10.3–27.2	24.5	13.8	35.1	38.9	27
=41	1501+	Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey University	10.3–27.2	11.7	10.1	49	17.2	31.8
=41	1501+	Kastamonu University	10.3–27.2	15.3	12	44.3	18.8	35.1
=41	1501+	Kirikkale University	10.3–27.2	17	19.6	20.1	36	20.2
=41	1501+	Kocaeli University	10.3–27.2	14.1	10.4	28.6	30.5	25.9
=41	1501+	Konya Technical University	10.3–27.2	19.4	9.4	37.8	17.3	25
=41	1501+	Kırşehir Ahi Evran University	10.3–27.2	14	11.1	23.8	21.3	34.6
=41	1501+	Manisa Celal Bayar University	10.3–27.2	14.7	10	24.1	20.6	23.4
=41	1501+	Marmara University	10.3–27.2	25.1	13.7	34.7	34.7	31.9
=41	1501+	Mersin University	10.3–27.2	17.2	10.6	25.3	23.3	29
=41	1501+	Mugla Sitki Kocman University	10.3–27.2	15.6	11.4	21.1	21.9	26.4
=41	1501+	Muş Alparslan University	10.3–27.2	12.1	11	32.6	16.8	21.6
=41	1501+	Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University	10.3–27.2	17.2	10.3	31	20.7	31.1
=41	1501+	Ondokuz Mayis University	10.3–27.2	19.7	11.3	29.6	26.2	37.2
=41	1501+	Ordu University	10.3–27.2	14.2	10.7	27.8	17.2	19.4
=41	1501+	Pamukkale University	10.3–27.2	17.9	10.5	18.8	28.3	21.9
=41	1501+	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University	10.3–27.2	20.5	12.4	44.2	30.9	24.5
=41	1501+	Sakarya University of Applied Sciences	10.3–27.2	13.2	9.8	32.7	16.4	42.8
=41	1501+	Sinop University	10.3–27.2	9.9	12.5	40.8	18.2	31.4
=41	1501+	Sivas Cumhuriyet University	10.3–27.2	14.9	9.9	33.4	19.2	34.7
=41	1501+	Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University	10.3–27.2	13.1	9.6	17.6	18.4	25
=41	1501+	Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University	10.3–27.2	19	10	36.5	23.2	36.3
=41	1501+	Trakya University	10.3–27.2	13.9	9.2	20.5	19.9	30.5
=41	1501+	Uşak University	10.3–27.2	12.5	10.9	25.8	17.1	31
=41	1501+	Van Yüzüncü Yil University	10.3–27.2	22	19.5	22.4	30.4	23
=41	1501+	Yeditepe University	10.3–27.2	23.9	14.1	28.9	57.2	41.9
=41	1501+	Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University	10.3–27.2	14.9	11	26.5	19.5	29.3
=41	1501+	Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University	10.3–27.2	14.3	18.6	19.5	21.4	24.7
=41	1501+	Çankırı Karatekin University	10.3–27.2	14.4	18	23	17.1	31.9
=41	1501+	Üsküdar University	10.3–27.2	13.3	9	23.6	19.1	46.7
=41	1501+	İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University	10.3–27.2	16.5	10.4	25.1	18.9	30.1

Key insights into the Turkey University Ranking 2026

There are 109 universities from Turkey ranked in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026.
Koç University is the top university in Turkey. It is located in the city of Istanbul.
While the majority of the top 10 is located in either Istanbul or Ankara, universities further down the table or located across the country including in areas such as Antalya, Izmir and Konya.

How to choose a university in Turkey

Turkey welcomes more than 250,000 international students each year to its 207 universities. In fact, Turkey is in the top 10 in the world in terms of international student numbers, through both the Erasmus+ scheme and international partnerships with universities.

Many universities teach the majority of their courses in English, but students have the opportunity to learn Turkish too, which is among the most widely spoken languages in the world.

There are a wide-range of institutions in the country, including large research-intensive institutions and smaller specialist universities.

As well as having a range of high-quality universities, Turkey is a great country for students to choose because of its proximity to many other countries in Europe and the Middle East.

The table for the best universities in Turkey was derived from data collected for the THE World University Rankings. The results are calculated using 18 performance indicators underlying five metrics: research environment, teaching (the learning environment), research quality, industry, and international outlook. For more insight and a detailed breakdown of our ranking methodology, visit our methodology page. Use the Turkey university ranking table above to explore the right institution for you.