According to a statement by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) dated 25 September 2026, Turkish universities reached the top of Europe in UI GreenMetric 2026, one of the world's leading sustainability rankings. Türkiye ranked first in Europe and second worldwide for the number of universities in the top 200, top 500 and top 1,000.
150Turkish universities ranked
5In the world's 100 greenest
21 · 53 · 99Turkish universities in the top 200 · 500 · 1,000
2,016Institutions assessed from 110 countries
This year's ranking assessed 2,016 higher education institutions from 110 countries, including 150 universities from Türkiye; Türkiye also ranked first in Europe and second worldwide for the total number of ranked universities. ITU (28th) and YTU (45th) placed among the world's 50 greenest universities.
UI GreenMetric is a comprehensive index assessing universities' sustainability performance across campus setting and infrastructure, energy, waste management, water use, transport and education.
“Ranking first in Europe for the number of universities in the top 200, 500 and 1,000 is an important indicator of the steps we have taken in this field.”
— Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President of YÖK
Announced at a time when Türkiye is hosting COP31 and all 208 of the country's universities are part of the academic COP31 process, the result once again highlights Turkish higher education's strong performance in environmental sustainability.
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