Istanbul Technical University, also known as Technical University of Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, commonly referred to as İTÜ), is a public technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third-oldest technical university dedicated to engineering and natural sciences as well as social sciences recently.

İTÜ is ranked 79th globally and first in Turkey in the field of Engineering and Technology, as well as 182nd globally and first in Turkey in the field of Natural Sciences, according to the QS World University Rankings for 2025. The university has 92 undergraduate programs and 188 graduate programs in 14 faculties, 277,160 m² of laboratory space, and 12 research centers.

Graduates of ITU have received many TÜBİTAK science and TÜBA awards. ITU alumni have also become members of the academy of sciences in the United States, United Kingdom and Russia. The university's basketball team, İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi B.K., is in the Turkish Basketball Super League.

Considered as the world's third institution of higher learning specifically dedicated to engineering education, Istanbul Technical University (ITU) has a long and distinguished history. ITU was founded in 1773 by Sultan Mustafa III, as an important institution in the Nizam-ı Cedid reforms, as the Imperial School of Naval Engineering (Ottoman Turkish: Mühendishâne-i Bahrî-i Hümâyun), in the Kasımpaşa quarter on the Golden Horn, originally dedicated to train ship builders and cartographers for the Ottoman Navy. In 1795 the Imperial School of Military Engineering (Ottoman Turkish: Mühendishâne-i Berrî-i Hümâyun) was established in the nearby Hasköy quarter on the Golden Horn, and the scope of the school was broadened to train technical military staff for the modernization of the Ottoman Army. In 1845 the engineering function of the school was further widened with the addition of a program devoted to the training of architects. The scope and name of the school were extended and changed again in 1883, and in 1909 the school became a public engineering school which was aimed at training civil engineers who could provide the infrastructure for the rapidly developing country.

By 1928 the institution had gained formal recognition as a university of engineering which provided education in both engineering and architecture. In 1944 the name of the institution was changed to Istanbul Technical University and in 1946 the institution became an autonomous university with architecture, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering faculties.

With its long history of 251 years, its modern teaching environment, and well-qualified teaching staff, Istanbul Technical University today is the personification of engineering and architectural education in Turkey. Istanbul Technical University not only played a leading role in the modernization movement of the Ottoman Empire, but has also maintained its leadership position in the changes and innovations taking place in the construction, industrialization, and technological realms during the modern days of the Turkish Republic. Engineers and architects trained at Istanbul Technical University have played significant roles in the construction of Turkey. Alumni also played a significant role in Turkish politics.

The structure of faculties, except the Faculty of Science and Letters, at ITU is comparable to those of "schools" in the U.S. institutions,^{[dubious – discuss]} where each faculty is composed of two or more departments in line with a comprehensive engineering field. For example, the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering consists of the departments of electrical engineering, robotics and autonomous systems engineering, electronics and communication engineering.

ITU TRNC Education and Research Campuses