Boğaziçi University


Boğaziçi University is a major research university located on the European side of the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey. It has four faculties and two schools offering undergraduate degrees, and six institutes offering graduate degrees. The language of instruction is English.
Founded in 1863, as Robert College, it is the first American higher education institution founded outside the United States. Though under entirely Turkish administration today, the university still maintains strong ties to the American educational system.
Boğaziçi University consistently ranks highest in Turkey, having the greatest number of applicants via the YGS-LYS Turkish university entrance examinations. The well-known programs are electrical and electronics engineering, computer engineering, and industrial engineering. Only the top 800 of the approximately 1.8 million participants in the annual Turkish university entrance examination are admitted to register for these subjects at the University. To be admitted into other degree programs, one usually has to be in the top 1% of the university entrance exam as well. This allows Boğaziçi University to attract many of the highest scoring students; as well as having the most preferred applied science, education, engineering, and social science programs in Turkey.

History

In 1863, Robert College was founded in the Bebek by Christopher Robert, a wealthy American philanthropist, and Cyrus Hamlin, a missionary devoted to education. Six years after its foundation, with the permission of the Ottoman Sultan, the first campus was built in Bebek at the ridge of the Rumelian Castle, very close to a Bektashi tekke, whose leaders maintained an excellent relationship with the Congregational and Presbyterian founders of Robert College, according to Dr. Friedrich Schrader, a German lecturer at Robert College during the 1890s. The first building of the school was named "Hamlin Hall" in memory of Cyrus Hamlin. In 1878, Christopher Robert died. According to the article A Millionaire's Will, published in the New York Times, Robert left a great portion of his wealth to the College.
A College Catalog was compiled in 1878–1879, giving general information and an outline of the courses of study. Defining the aims of the College the catalog stated: "The object of the College is to give to its students, without distinction of race or religion, a thorough educational equal in all respects to that obtained at a first-class American college and based upon the same general principles."
After Hamlin, Robert College was administrated by George Washburn and Caleb Gates. Though founded at the time of the Ottoman Empire as an institution of higher learning serving the Christian minorities of the Empire as well as foreigners living in Constantinople, the school adopted a strictly secular educational model in accordance with the republican principles of Turkey in 1923. Robert College, in the past had junior high school, high school, and university sections under the names Robert Academy, Robert Yüksek and American College for Girls. Since 1971, the current-day Robert College has functioned only as a "high school" on its Arnavutköy campus, yet it retains the title of 'College'. The Bebek campus and academic staff were turned over to the Republic of Turkey for use as a public university named Boğaziçi University, the renamed continuation of Robert College's university section.

Campus

Boğaziçi University operates on six campuses in Istanbul. Four of these campuses are close to each other and located on a hill in the affluent district of Bebek on the European side of Istanbul, overlooking the Bosphorus. The Kennedy Lodge, named after John F. Kennedy, is located at the South Campus and operates as a welcoming facility for visiting professors and staff. The Kandilli Campus is right across from the shore, located on the Asian side of Istanbul and hosts the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute. The newest campus is in Kilyos on the Black Sea coast and is home to a private beach. The South Campus is the most popular campus among students and visitors alike.

Dormitories

The University has ten dormitories on its different campuses. 1. Men's and 1. Women's Dorms are located on the South Campus and they are among the oldest buildings of the school. One other name of the 1. Men's Dorm building is Hamlin Hall and 1. Women's Dorm is also known by the name of Zeynep-Ayşe Birkan Women's Domitory. By accommodating at these two historical buildings, students get the chance of participating in the active social and historical life of Boğaziçi University.
There are 4 dormitories on the North Campus. 1st and 2nd North Dormitories were opened to service after the year of 1985. While the former serves as a female dorm, the latter is for males. They have similar architectural designs. 3rd North Dorm was opened in the year of 2010 and currently it has been serving for female students. The last dorm of the North Campus is 4th North Dorm, which has been in service since 2011. Some of the electricity energy consumed in the dorm is being met thanks to its solar panels located on the roof of the building.
On its Kilyos Campus, which is approximately one-hour away from the center, 1st and 3rd Kilyos Dormitories are located. 1st Kilyos Dorm serves to female students while the male students accommodate at the 3rd Kilyos Dorm. Opened to service in 2014, 3rd Kilyos Dorm building has a work and fitness room, laundry facilities, a computer lab, and a prayer room.
Apart from those mentioned above, Superdorm and Kandilli Dorm also provide accommodation to Boğaziçi University students. Put into service in the 1998–99 academic year, Superdorm enables the students to socialize and experience the dorm life with higher service quality. As to the Kandilli Dorm, it was opened to service in the year of 2017 on the Kandilli Campus right across the Bosphorus. Only female students accommodate at the Kandilli Campus. The waste water collected from the bathroom is reused in the toilet reservoirs after the treatment process.

International rankings

Boğaziçi University was the only Turkish university among the first 100 universities worldwide according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2013–2014.

Music Festival

Tasoda Festival is the most important amateur Music Festival that held in Turkey. Tasoda is the name of Music Club's studio. Tasoda Festival is organized by Bogazici University Music Club in every spring.

Sport festivals

Every spring, at the end of May, international sports festivals are held at the South Campus and other venues of Boğaziçi University. Usually, around 300 to 800 students come from all over the world to participate in various tournaments.

Departments offering bachelor's degrees

Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Engineering
School of Applied Disciplines
The School of Foreign Languages
Graduate Studies in Sciences and Engineering
Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History
Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Institute of Environmental Sciences
Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute
Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Vocational School of Hotel Management
Other Units'''
Istanbul Center for Mathematical Sciences

Student clubs