​ QS Praises Turkish Universities' Achievements in Social Inclusion and Collaboration

Türkiye has the best universities in the region in the "Sustainability" indicator

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the UK-based higher education rating agency, announced its 2024 Sustainability Rankings, which evaluates universities around the world in terms of environmental impact, social impact and governance.

According to the QS’s report on Türkiye, there are six Turkish universities in the top 500 and 17 Turkish universities in the top 1,000.

Istanbul Technical University ranked 44th in the world in the “Sustainability” and “Climate Strategies” indicators and was named "Türkiye's most sustainable university."

METU offers Türkiye's best education on environment and climate-related issues.

QS Senior Vice President Sowter: "Turkish universities showcase a strong commitment to social inclusivity and collaboration. This is a commendable achievement, reflecting the country's dedication to progressive educational practices."

December 9, 2023

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the UK-based higher education rating agency, announced its 2024 Sustainability Rankings, which evaluates universities around the world in terms of environmental impact, social impact and governance.

QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter commented on the ranking, which includes six Turkish universities in the top 500 and 17 Turkish universities in the top 1,000 universities, saying, "Turkish universities showcase a strong commitment to social inclusivity and collaboration. This is a commendable achievement, reflecting the country's dedication to progressive educational practices."

QS communicated a special report on Türkiye to the Council of Higher Education. The report includes sections of the QS 2024 Sustainability Ranking, which evaluates the performance of universities around the world according to the categories of "Environmental Impact", which includes the indicators of "Environmental Sustainability", "Environmental Education" and "Environmental Research"; "Social Impact", which includes the indicators of "Equality", "Knowledge Exchange", "Impact of Education", "Employability and Outcomes", and "Health & Wellbeing"; and "Governance", which includes the indicators such as “Ethics”, "Hiring Practices", "Transparency", and "Decision making".

Turkish universities ranked in the top 1,000

According to the report, there are six Turkish universities among the world’s top 500 universities and 17 Turkish universities among the top 1,000 universities. The universities that were listed in the top 1,000 are as follows: Istanbul Technical University (ITU) (221), METU (224), Boğaziçi University (335), Yıldız Technical University (405), Koç University (408), Hacettepe University (408), Gazi University (537), Dokuz Eylül University (556), Bilkent University (672), Erciyes University (711-720), Sabancı University (731-740), Gebze Technical University (881-900), Ankara University (941-960), Çukurova University (961-980), Selçuk University (961-980), Marmara University (981-1000), Sakarya University (981-1000).

ITU is the leader in the "Environmental Sustainability" indicator

QS ranked the best universities in the world in the categories as well as in the indicators that make up these categories.

ITU had an excellent performance in QS’s “Environmental Sustainability” indicator, which measures an institution's commitment to sustainability and climate strategies. ITU ranked 44th in the world in this indicator, making it the top ranked university among universities in West Asia.

Türkiye becomes the only country in the region with a university in the "Equality" indicator among the top 100 in the world

Koç University ranked 99th in the "Equality" indicator, with METU ranked 222nd and Boğaziçi University ranked 289th, making Türkiye the best country in the region. Koç University, ranked 99th in this field, was the only university in the region to be ranked among the top 100.

The top three universities in West Asia in the "Knowledge Exchange" indicator are Turkish

Türkiye stood out as the best in the region in the "Knowledge Exchange" indicator, which includes the criteria of "Collaboration", "Resource Sharing" and "Community Engagement". With two universities (METU-95th and Hacettepe-97th) in the top 100 in this indicator, Türkiye ranked highest in West Asia.

Three Turkish universities in the top 100 in the "Governance" category

In the "Governance" category, which evaluates indicators such as "Ethics", "Hiring Practices", "Transparency" and "Decision making", three Turkish universities entered the top 100 in the world rankings. Among the three universities, ITU ranked 153rd in Asia, while Bilkent and Gazi universities shared 174th place.

Accolades from QS

"Turkish universities showcase a strong commitment to social inclusivity and collaboration. This is a commendable achievement, reflecting the country's dedication to progressive educational practices," said QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter in the report.

Sowter recommended that Turkish universities focused on enhancing their curricula and research in environmental and social sciences, while strengthening ties with industry in areas related to educational quality, career prospects, and graduate opportunities.


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