Established as Robert College in 1863, Boğaziçi University (or Bosphorus University) was the first American university founded outside the US. Its founders, wealthy philanthropist Christopher Robert and missionary Cyrus Hamlin, struck up a partnership after meeting during the Crimean War and less than a decade later the university opened its doors to students for the first time, with Dr Hamlin as president.
In 1971 the university was handed over to the Republic of Turkey and took on the name it has today, which comes from the university’s position overlooking the Bosphorus river in Istanbul. There are six university campuses, most of which are located on the European side of the Bosphorus.
The South Campus is home to some of the oldest university buildings as well as a number of faculties. The North Campus, Hisar Campus and Uçaksavar Campus are all located close to the South Campus and are home to some of the university’s newer facilities and departments. On the other side of the river is the Kandilli Observatory on the Kandilli Campus while the newest campus, Saritepe Campus, is near Kilyos on the Black Sea coast, around 34 kilometres from Istanbul.
Today the university boasts six undergraduate faculties and six graduate institutes, divided into a wide variety of departments. It offers a range of sports facilities and the annual Fall Games Tournament and Interfaculty Tournament are big events on the university calendar. Alongside the clubs and societies that cover a range of hobbies and interests, the university organises weekly classical music concerts, bringing world-renowned artists to perform in Boğaziçi University’s Albert Long Hall.
Notable alumni include former prime ministers Tansu Çiller and Ahmet Davutoğlu, the chairman of Turkey’s largest food producer Murat Ülker, and ocean rowing world record holder Erden Eruç.
