Melih Bulu, who has ties to the ruling [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|AKP]], was appointed as rector by presidential decree on 2 January 2021. According to faculty, Bulu was the first rector chosen outside the university since the [[1980 Turkish coup d'état|1980 coup d'état]].<ref name=":0" /> After the coup, [[Ergün Toğrol]], who was an [[academician]] in [[Istanbul Technical University]], had been appointed as the rector of Boğaziçi University.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=12 Eylül'den sonra ikinci|url=https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2021/yazarlar/ismail-saymaz/12-eylulden-sonra-ikinci-6200588/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-03|website=www.sozcu.com.tr}}</ref>
