[3] Over one third of the 1,000 highest scoring students in the national university entrance examination choose to enroll in METU; and most of its departments accept the top 0.1% of the nearly 3 million applicants.

[13][14][15] Upon completing his survey, Abrams submitted a report to the UN recommending the establishment of a technological institute in Turkey to provide education in architecture and planning.

[16] Subsequently, the UN assigned G. Holmes Perkins from the University of Pennsylvania to assist in establishing an institute that would train Turkish architects and urban-regional planners.

The university was established to contribute to the development of Turkey and the surrounding regions of the Middle East, Balkans, and Caucasus by fostering skilled professionals in the natural and social sciences.

"Arrangements and Procedures as for the Foundation of METU, Law No 6213" was enacted on January 22, 1957, whereby the current name "Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi" (ODTÜ) was adopted.

Democrat Party deputy Münib Hayri Ürgüplü emphasized that "in a period marked by various ideological threats in the Middle East, the university would play a crucial role by educating young people armed with the profound truths of science to effectively confront these challenges".

[21][20] The governance of METU was distinctively structured under a Board of Trustees, initially composed of five members, unlike any other institute managed by the Ministry of National Education.

Classes were initially held in a small building owned by the Retirement Fund in Kızılay and barracks near the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

[24] Amid considerations to use either the lands behind Yalıncak Village or the buildings of the Etimesgut Sugar Factory for the campus site, the government pressed for immediate foundation laying.

In March 1959, Willis Raymond Woolrich, who also served as the dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas, was dismissed as an advisory rector following a law passed in August 1960 that terminated the Board of Trustees' mandate.

[40] Shortly after Meray's appointment, the university witnessed a student boycott due to uncertainties about the recognition of diplomas and concerns over educational facilities.

That day, we planted trees on METU's land for the first time.On April 26, 1961, the Board of Trustees decided on Aşağı Balgat for the new campus, and a new national competition with an international jury was organized.

[44] During the initial surveys near Yalıncak Village, Kemal Kurdaş identified remnants of historical structures and artifacts, indicating the site's archaeological importance.

The language of instruction at the university is English.The METU Library, established in 1956 with a donation of 50 books from the United Nations, began offering services that same year.

By 1957, the library staff comprised Füruzan Olşen and Solmaz İzdemir, who both had received master's degrees in librarianship in the United States.

The faculty increased by 20% to 607 members, and new departments such as Theoretical Chemistry and Computer Sciences were established, alongside the Modern Biology Option.

In the same year, under the presidency of Rector Kurdaş, the Committee to Rescue and Evaluate Historical Artifacts that Will Be Submerged by the Keban Dam Lake was established, launching an eight-year comprehensive study of the Keban region's archaeology, history, architecture, ethnography, folklore, music, and language, with a particular focus on rescuing archaeological artifacts at risk of submersion due to the dam construction.

Following the end of Ömer Saatçioğlu's term in September 1992, the first elections under this new system resulted in the appointment of Prof. Dr. Süha Sevük, a faculty member from the Department of Civil Engineering, as the rector.

[63] On April 12, 1993, Turkey's first internet connection was established through a 64 Kbps leased line between Ankara and Washington, facilitated by the routers in the METU Computer Center.

In 1994, with the support of Rector Sevük and Secretary-General Mehmet Çalışkan, efforts to establish Radio METU began, and broadcasting started in 1995 on frequency 103.1 FM.

[65] On November 19, 1998, following a protocol signed with the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces and the Defence Industry Agency, the MODSİM-LAB was established.

On August 7, 2000, following the end of Süha Sevük's term, elections led to the appointment of Prof. Dr. Ural Akbulut, a faculty member from the Department of Chemistry, as rector.

This initiative organized 12 workshops under the 7 main themes of the 6th Framework Programs and started efforts to create national networks across the country.

Researchers from METU actively take part in many COST, EUREKA, NASA, NATO, NSF, UN, World Bank, Jean Monnet, Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo and SOCRATES projects.

[3] METU is a member of various associations and networks dealing with international education and exchange, including EUA, EAIE, IIE, GE3, SEFI, and CIEE.

Lake Eymir near Gölbaşı, located 15 kilometers from the academic portion of the campus, is used by the students and faculty for rowing and recreational activities.

As of 2009, the METU Teknokent project employs about 3,300 personnel, approximately 2,700 of whom are researchers (86% of the total staff are university graduates, and 23% have MSc, MA, or PhD degrees), working in 240 firms.

[128] Around 90% of the firms are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), 65% of these are specialized in information and communication technologies, 25% in electronics, and 15% in other sectors such as aerospace, environment, bio-technology, nanotechnology, and advanced materials.

The event with the largest number of participants is the annual METU Spring Festival, a five-day-long series of open-air concerts and exhibitions held at the main campus.

[135] The 9th annual Pride march held 2019 found students and faculty met with pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets used by police.