UDEF comes from a 15-year long journey. Exactly 15 years ago, we began workings with guest students in Turkey. UDEF as an umbrella organization has, 68 international student associations in 25 provinces in 75 cities in our country with a cooperation activities with 55 thousand guest student.Our contact with thousands of people through our dozens partner institutions overseas has made us a great organization.
UDEF as a federation, is the biggest and a well known civil society movement working for international student association in our country with participating volunteers,68 associations in 75 provinces of Turkey. Activities under the umbrella of UDEF covers dozens of activities under headings such as; education and social studies. The contents, periods and responsibilities of these activities are determined through inter-agency consultations and the highest level of benefit-oriented plans are prepared. Within the scope of social activities; social and sporting activities, history and cultural trips are organized in the country for these students . In order for our guest students to learn the social andcultural structure of our country and for them not to feel alone in our homeland, international student gatherings, international student picnics, summer and winter camps and festive programs are organized.
UDEF’s basic goal is to host the international students who prefer our country to study, build a platform where they can be acquainted with each other, find solutions for their problems, meet their educational, material and spiritual needs and become individuals who spreads their wisdom all around the world. Another mission of this large organization in Turkey is to raise people who regards ‘spreading the world peace and brotherhood’ as a mission.
This is a federation that has set itself as a vision to deal with the health, safety and educational issues of international students and to cooperate with government institutions to solve these problems
About Istanbul Technical University (ITU)
One of the world’s oldest technical universities, Istanbul Technical University was founded in 1773 under the reign of Sultan Mustafa III as the Imperial School of Naval Engineering. ITU, Turkey’s first technical university, has become synonymous with engineering and architecture education.
ITU led modernization movements during the Ottoman Empire and made significant contributions to the development, modernization, and administration of Turkey in the Republican era. From roads to bridges, dams to factories, power plants to communication networks, ITU alumni have contributed to infrastructure projects across the country. Over the past two centuries, ITU has not only contributed to national development through its intellectual output but has also produced numerous statesmen, businesspeople, bureaucrats, and scientists who have left their mark in various fields.
ITU operates across five campuses in central Istanbul, hosting 13 faculties and one conservatory offering 67 undergraduate programs. Additionally, it provides postgraduate education through seven institutes. ITU boasts over 400 laboratories and 17 research centers. With 25 accredited engineering programs, it holds the record for the most ABET accreditations worldwide.
Students participating in the International Joint Degree Program complete half of their education at partner universities in the United States, earning dual diplomas. ITU offers double major and minor programs in many departments and has nearly 1,000 agreements, making it the Turkish university with the highest number of Erasmus exchange programs.
ITU’s ARI Teknokent is home to over 2,500 R&D projects, serving as a hub for science, industry, and technology. Additionally, ITU Çekirdek, known as the “entrepreneurship ecosystem," supports entrepreneurial students. ITU is proud to have produced Turkey’s first cube satellite, first electric minibus, first hydrogen-powered boat, first autonomous car, and first domestic computer. Moreover, Turkey’s first television broadcast was made from ITU, and the first university radio station was also established here.
ITU’s institutional history, intellectual heritage, and distinguished environment create a strong bridge from the past to the future. With a development approach aligned with contemporary needs, an innovative perspective, and a focus on global connections, ITU is the university of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.