Robert College, founded in Istanbul by Dr. Cyrus Hamlin and Mr. Christopher Rheinlander Robert in 1863, was the first American Institute of higher learning outside the United States. It was established with the explicit understanding that its doors would be open to everyone without respect to race, religion, or creed and that it would never become politically involved.

The estate on which the College was built was bought from Ahmed Vefik Pasha. It harbored a quarry, the limestone of which was used by Mehmet the Conqueror to construct the Rumeli Fortress just before the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans in 1453. In the construction of all the buildings on campus built before 1914 this limestone, which became a symbol of Robert College, was used.

The newly established institution grew quickly and became an excellent center of learning in a very short time. Its Board of Trustees, situated in the United States, saw to it that only the best instructors taught to a select group of top students admitted to Robert College. The campus, in its early years, hosted a library; the departments of business administration, engineering, sciences, and language and literature; an English language division; a museum of natural history; men and women's dormitories; and an infirmary.

In 1971, after over one hundred years of superior service to the nation and to the academic community at large, the Board of Trustees turned Robert College over to the Turkish government. Thus, Bogazici University, the official successor to Robert College, was inaugurated on the same campus in 1971.

Professor Aptullah Kuran, a graduate of Robert College, became the first Rector of Bogazici University upon its establishment in 1971. From that date on, the University entered a new phase of rapid structural and academic expansion and entered the 1990's with four Faculties (Arts and Sciences, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Education, and Engineering); six graduate Institutes; a School of Foreign Languages; a School of Applied Disciplines; and numerous research centers in a wide variety of fields.

The historic SOUTH CAMPUS, where Robert College was originally established, still serves as the nucleus of the university. The historic site of the limestone quarry has been transformed into a lovely green quadrangle.

The NORTH CAMPUS is comprised of the Main Library, the Science and Engineering Technology building, the Faculty of Educational Technology, and men's and women's dormitories.

The KANDILLI CAMPUS is the home of the historic Kandilli Observatory (founded in 1910) and the Institute of Earthquake Research. It was incorporated into Bogazici University in 1982.

The HISAR CAMPUS, which became a part of the university in 1989, is the home of the School of Applied Sciences and Institute of Environmental Sciences. The newly constructed UCAKSAVAR CAMPUS includes a housing complex for the staff, an ultramodern student dormitory (nicknamed the "Superdorm"), and a large athletic complex including a stadium and a fully equipped gymnasium.

Finally, the SARITEPE CAMPUS, overlooking the Black Sea near the resort town of Kilyos, was acquired by Bogazici University in 1985. Construction is still underway at the Saritepe Campus.

Today, Bogazici University's highest standards are universally acknowledged. Its excellent and well-deserved academic reputation attracts the best students in the country. The university's academic programs are enhanced by a traditionally strong emphasis on extra-curricular activities which perform an important function in preparing students for leadership roles in society. The flexibility of academic programs, interdisciplinary and wide range of course offerings are significant advantages that characterize and distinguish Bogazici University.

Furthermore, Bogazici University submits its academic programs and governance to international quality assessment. In 1998 the Faculty of Engineering and related departments of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences went through the accreditation process of the American Board for Engineering Technology (ABET). The university submitted in early 1999 its procedures of governance to the institutional evaluation of the European Association of Universities (CRE).