Uppsala University

Uppsala University (Swedish Uppsala universitet) is a public university in Uppsala, Sweden. The oldest university in Scandinavia, it was founded in 1477 on the initiative of the Archbishop of Uppsala Jakob Ulfsson and the Swedish Regent Sten Sture, and with a papal bull from Sixtus IV. After a turbulent period following the reformation, with some periods of virtual extinction, the university rose to some significance with the rise of Sweden as a great power and a leading Lutheran state from the end of the 16th century and was given a relative financial stability with the large donation of King Gustavus Adolphus in the early 17th century.

Related Topics:
Swedish - University - Uppsala - Sweden - Scandinavia - 1477 - Archbishop of Uppsala - Jakob Ulfsson - Sten Sture - Sixtus IV - Gustavus Adolphus - 17th century

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The significance of Uppsala is twofold: it has for centuries been an important place of science and learning, represented by names such as Linnaeus, Celsius, and Ångström, as well as several Nobel laureates in the sciences. Uppsala also has an important place in Swedish national culture and identity: in historiography, literature and music, represented by names such as Rudbeck, Geijer, Atterbom, and Strindberg. It shares some peculiarities with the other historic university within the present borders of Sweden, that in Lund (founded in 1666), such as the nation system, and many aspects of Swedish academic culture in general, such as the white student cap, originate in Uppsala.

Related Topics:
Linnaeus - Celsius - Ångström - Nobel laureates - Rudbeck - Geijer - Atterbom - Strindberg - Lund - Nation

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The university has nine faculties distributed over three so called disciplinary domains. It has ca 40,000 students studying on an undergraduate level or enrolled in professional programs, and ca 2,400 doctoral students. It has a teaching staff of 3,800, out of a total of 6,000 employees. Of its annual turnover of ca 4 billion SEK, approximately 60% goes to graduate studies and research. It belongs to the Coimbra Group of European universities.

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Uppsala University has traditionally had a strong presence in the area around the cathedral on the western side of the River Fyris, and although lack of space has forced it ever since the late 19th century to seek areas for expansion further towards the western and southwestern periphery of Uppsala, the presence of the university still dominates the historic centre of the town.

Related Topics:
The cathedral - River Fyris

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