Jagiellonian University in Krakow

Voivodeship: małopolskie

City: Kraków

The Jagiellonian University is the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest in Central Europe. It was founded on May 12, 1364 by King Casimir the Great. At that time, it was called Studium generale and consisted of three faculties: liberal arts, medicine, and law. Currently, the Jagiellonian University has 16 faculties, including three medical faculties, which in 1993 returned to the structure of the Jagiellonian University and formed the Collegium Medicum. The university educates about 33,000 students, 65.8% of whom are women. The international structure of the university has a noticeable increase in students from Asia, Africa, and the new countries of Eastern Europe, such as Ukraine and Belarus. Every year, about 8,000 graduates leave the university building. In the academic year 2024/2025, almost 14.2 thousand male and female students began their studies. The Jagiellonian University employs almost 4,000 full-time academic teachers, 51.6% of whom are women. The Jagiellonian University consistently ranks among the best universities in Poland and is distinguished in international educational rankings. Among the distinguished graduates of this oldest Polish university are Nicolaus Copernicus, Jan Kochanowski, Jan III Sobieski, Stanisław Lem, Stanisław Wyspiański, Jan Długosz, Pope John Paul II and Wisława Szymborska.