Istanbul Technical University (Tr. İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, commonly referred to as ITU or Technical University) is an international technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third oldest technical university dedicated to engineering sciences as well as social sciences recently, and is one of the most prominent educational institutions in Turkey. ITU is ranked 108th worldwide and 1st nationwide in the field of engineering/technology by THES - QS World University Rankings in 2009. Graduates of İstanbul technical university have received many TUBITAK science and TUBA awards. Numerous graduates have also become members of the academy of sciences in the U.S.A, Britain and Russia. The university's basketball team, ITUSpor, is in the Turkish Basketball League Division II. The university has 39 undergraduate, 144 graduate programs, 13 colleges, 346 labs and 12 research centers. ITU has 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. 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 which began in 1773.