Turkish Universities Secure Prominent Standing in URAP Rankings, Led by Medicine and Engineering

Higher education institutions in Türkiye have made a strong showing in the 2025–2026 World Field Rankings published by the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) Research Laboratory at Middle East Technical University (METU).

Key Highlights of Turkish Representation

• 90 Turkish Universities: Included in at least one scientific field, reflecting an increase from 89 institutions in the previous year.

• 48 out of 78 Fields: Turkish universities demonstrated academic presence in 48 of the 78 evaluated fields.

• Evaluation Criteria: Performance was measured based on academic output indicators over the past five years, including publication volume, total research documents, citation counts, and international research collaboration.

Most Represented Academic Fields for Turkish Universities

Medical, health, and engineering disciplines led the representation for Turkish higher education:

• Medicine and Health Sciences: 82 universities

• Engineering: 36 universities

• Biological Sciences: 26 universities

• Technology: 24 universities

• Mathematics: 19 universities

• Physics: 12 universities

• Materials Science: 12 universities

Top Turkish Institutions by Field Representation

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) achieved the broadest presence among Turkish institutions, featuring in 28 scientific fields globally and regionally, followed by:

Global Standings in Specialized Disciplines

Several universities achieved noteworthy worldwide placements in specific fields:

Istanbul Technical University (ITU)

• 73rd globally in Polymer Science (highest rank among Turkish programs)

• 139th in Water Resources

• 141st in Marine Sciences

• 151st in Civil Engineering

• 207th in Geology

• 223rd in Artificial Intelligence

• 268th in Robotics and Intelligent Systems

Hacettepe University

• 116th globally in Dentistry

• 129th in Pediatrics

• 243rd in Education

Ankara & Istanbul Medical Programs

• Ankara University: Ranked 103rd in Dentistry and 212th in Pediatrics.

• Istanbul University: Ranked 194th in Pediatrics and 215th in Dentistry.

• Marmara University: Ranked 204th in Pediatrics.

• Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa: Ranked 233rd in Pediatrics.

Additional Specialized Achievements

• Koc University: Ranked 222nd in Political Science and 286th in Clinical Neurology.

• Yildiz Technical University: Ranked 231st in Architecture.

• Middle East Technical University (METU): Ranked 253rd in Energy and Fuels, 270th in Polymer Science, and 291st in Civil Engineering.

Global Context and Overall Competition

A total of 2,566 universities from 121 countries featured in at least one scientific field in this year’s evaluation.

• Most Represented Nations:

  • China: 422 institutions

  • United States: 293 institutions

  • India: 146 institutions

• Field Leaders:

  • China led globally in 36 of the 78 fields.

  • The United Kingdom led in 9 fields.

  • Netherlands led in 5 fields.

  • The United States led in 2 fields.