Turkish and Northern Cyprus University Rankings 2027: QS and THE
In the QS World University Rankings 2027 (June 2026), Istanbul Technical University (ITU) is Turkey's highest at 279, followed by METU 305, Koç 329, Boğaziçi 345, Sabancı 357 and Bilkent 454. In the THE World University Rankings 2027 (September 2026), Koç and METU lead in the 326–350 band. Among the private Istanbul universities Taktik applies to, İstinye (THE 801–1000), Bahçeşehir, Medipol and Biruni (THE 1001–1200) and Aydın (QS 1201–1400) are ranked. From Northern Cyprus, EMU is 691 in QS and Near East is 501–550 in THE.
In this guide
- ITU's rank in QS 2027, the highest in Turkey
- 279
- Turkish universities in QS 2027
- 25
- Turkish universities in THE 2027
- 124
- Koç and METU's band in THE 2027
- 326–350
What rankings tell you, and what they do not
QS and THE are two global rankings published every year: QS 2027 on 18 June 2026 and THE 2027 on 30 September 2026. They mostly measure research, academic reputation and staff-to-student ratios, not the teaching quality of one programme or your chance of admission. So a rank is one criterion, alongside tuition, language of instruction, city, and degree recognition in your own country. One technical note: QS lists Northern Cyprus universities under "Türkiye", while THE lists them separately.
QS World University Rankings 2027: every Turkish university
| QS 2027 rank | University | Type | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 279 | Istanbul Technical University (ITU) | state | Istanbul |
| 305 | Middle East Technical University (METU) | state | Ankara |
| 329 | Koç | private | Istanbul |
| 345 | Boğaziçi | state | Istanbul |
| 357 | Sabancı | private | Istanbul |
| 454 | Bilkent | private | Ankara |
| 570 | Hacettepe | state | Ankara |
| 629 | Istanbul University | state | Istanbul |
| 634 | Yıldız Technical | state | Istanbul |
| 731–740 | Ankara | state | Ankara |
| 851–900 | Gebze Technical | state | Kocaeli |
| 1001–1200 | Ege, Marmara | state | Izmir, Istanbul |
| 1201–1400 | Atatürk, Dokuz Eylül, Erciyes, Istanbul Aydın, Izmir Institute of Technology, Özyeğin, Selçuk | state and private | — |
| 1401+ | Akdeniz, Çukurova, Karadeniz Technical, Sakarya | state | — |
Gazi is also in QS 2027 (in the 1000–1500 group according to YÖK), but we could not confirm its exact band from the official page. Sources: YÖK's official announcement on QS 2027 and QS.
- ITU279 rank
- METU305 rank
- Koç329 rank
- Boğaziçi345 rank
- Sabancı357 rank
- Bilkent454 rank
- Hacettepe570 rank
- Istanbul University629 rank
- Yıldız Technical634 rank
Only universities for which QS gives an exact rank rather than a band.
THE World University Rankings 2027: Turkey's top 25
| THE 2027 band | Universities |
|---|---|
| 326–350 | Koç, METU |
| 376–400 | Sabancı |
| 401–450 | Boğaziçi |
| 651–700 | Bilkent, ITU |
| 801–1000 | Abdullah Gül, Atatürk, Hacettepe, Nişantaşı, İstinye, Özyeğin, Yıldız Technical |
| 1001–1200 | Anadolu, Bahçeşehir, Biruni, Çankaya, Erciyes, Gebze Technical, Istanbul Medipol, Istanbul University, Süleyman Demirel |
| 1201–1400 | Akdeniz, Ankara, Gazi, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Sakarya, Selçuk and 8 others |
Source: THE's official Turkey page (124 universities).
Istanbul's private universities: where do they stand?
Most of the private universities that international students attend are not in QS and sit in the lower THE bands. That is natural: they are younger, and rankings weight research heavily.
| University | QS 2027 | THE 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| İstinye | — | 801–1000 |
| Bahçeşehir | — | 1001–1200 |
| Istanbul Medipol | — | 1001–1200 |
| Biruni | — | 1001–1200 |
| Istanbul Aydın | 1201–1400 | 1601–1800 |
| Yeditepe | — | 1401–1600 |
| Acıbadem | — | 1601–1800 |
| Altınbaş | — | 1801–2000 |
| Okan | — | 1801–2000 |
| Üsküdar | — | 2001+ |
| Haliç | — | not in the 2027 table |
"—" means not ranked in QS 2027. Sources: each university's page on THE and the universities' own announcements.
Northern Cyprus
| University | QS 2027 | THE 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Near East | 791–800 (first entry) | 501–550 |
| Eastern Mediterranean (EMU) | 691 | 701–800 |
| Cyprus International (CIU) | — | 651–700 |
Sources: YÖDAK's announcement on QS 2027 and THE's Northern Cyprus page.
How to use a rank in your decision
- If your goal is further study in Europe or the US, the global rank carries more weight; look at Koç, Sabancı, Bilkent and the big state universities.
- If your goal is working in your own country, that country's degree-evaluation list matters more than the rank; for Iranians, see this guide.
- Put tuition next to the rank: a higher rank does not always mean higher tuition; see the cost of studying in Turkey.
We update this page with each new QS (June) and THE (October) edition.
Study guides for your country
Applying through Taktik is free and tuition is paid directly to the university. Admission is not guaranteed.
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Erfan Farzaneh
Co-Founder and CEO
Co-Founder and CEO of Taktik, based in Istanbul. At Taktik since 2019.
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