The Babeș-Bolyai University ( , , commonly known as UBB) is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Established in 1581 as Academia Claudiopolitana, it underwent several reorganizations over the centuries, eventually taking its current form in 1959 through the merger of Bolyai University (founded in 1945) and Victor Babeș University (founded in 1919)."Traditie si Excelenta-Scolile academice/de stiinta la Universitatea Babes-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca (1581-1872-1919-prezent)" It occupies the first position in the University Metaranking, initiated by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research in 2016."Raport asupra Exercițiului Național de Metaranking Universitar-2016""Metarankingul Universitar-2019 Clasamentul Universităților din România"
Babeș-Bolyai University is the largest Romanian university with about 50,000 students."Raportul rectorului privind starea Universității Babeș-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca (UBB) pe anul 2021" It offers study programmes in Romanian, Hungarian, German, English, and French (as well as a smaller number of programmes at the Master's level taught in Spanish, Italian, and Japanese). The university was named, following the fusion in 1959 of the Romanian and Hungarian-language universities in Cluj, after two prominent scientists from Transylvania, the Romanian bacteriologist Victor Babeș and the Hungarian mathematician János Bolyai. It is one of the five members of the Universitaria Consortium (the group of elite Romanian universities, including UAIC, UB, ASE and UVT).Consorțiul Universitaria – viitorul învățământului superior românesc de calitate
UBB is affiliated to the International Association of Universities, Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, Eutopia, the Santander Group, the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie and the European University Association. Likewise, UBB signed the Magna Charta Universitatum and concluded partnerships with 210 universities in 50 countries. The Babeș-Bolyai University is classified as an advanced research and education university by the Ministry of Education.
History
The history of education in Cluj-Napoca (, , Principality of Transylvania) begins in 1581, with the establishment of the Jesuit college by Stephen Báthory, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and Prince of Transylvania. The college received buildings and land within the medieval city walls, specifically on Platea Luporum (the present Mihail Kogălniceanu Street). The first rector of the Collegium Academicum Claudiopolitanum was the Polish Jesuit priest Jakub Wujek. The institution had the rights to confer the university/academic titles of baccalaureus, magister, and doctor. In 1585, there were 230 students studying, divided into six classes. The language of instruction and learning was Latin. After 1698, the institution was named Universitas Claudiopolitana, with use of Latin and subsequently German as languages of instruction. In 1753, Empress Maria Theresa granted imperial status to the university, and in 1773, after the dissolution of the Jesuit Order, went under the administration of the Piarist order. In 1786, Universitas Claudiopolitana became the Royal Academic Lyceum (Lyceum Regium Academicum – semiuniversity statute), which was later followed by two institutions with a semiuniversity statute (e.g., offering training at baccalaureus/magister level, but not at doctor level): (a) the Surgical-Medical Institute and (b) the Academy of Law. These institutions were later incorporated in the Franz Joseph University.
With the affirmation of the Romanian nation in the context of the European revolutions of 1848, the issue of education in Romanian was raised. At the request of the Romanians in 1870, József Eötvös (then Minister of Education) proposed the creation in Kolozsvár of a university teaching in Hungarian, Romanian and German, idea also welcomed by the Romanian elite. This hadn't come to fruition, as Eötvös died in 1871, and in 1872, Franz Joseph I legislated the establishment of the Hungarian Royal University of Kolozsvár in Hungarian only, which caused dissatisfaction among Romanians. After the oath, on 20 December 1872, 258 students started their courses. There were created four distinct faculties: the Faculty of Law and State Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and History, and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Each possessed equal status and enjoyed internal autonomy. The first rector was Prof. Áron Berde from the Faculty of Law, specialist in economics and finance. Besides the four faculties, a Pedagogical Institute was formed for training secondary school teachers. In 1895 women were given rights to attend lectures at the university.
After the First World War, and in the context of the Great Union of 1918, the university was taken over by the Romanian authorities and became an institution of the Kingdom of Romania. On 12 September 1919, the decree signed by King Ferdinand I stipulated "the transformation of the Royal Hungarian Franz Joseph University into a Romanian university beginning on the 1st of October 1919". The Hungarian staff who had not sworn allegiance to the Romanian state moved to Szeged where they contributed to the formation of the University of Szeged (1921).
The new Romanian university, initially named Dacia Superior University (in reference to the Roman province by the same name), later King Ferdinand I University, was composed of four faculties: Law, Medicine, Sciences, Letters and Philosophy [sic]. The inaugural lecture, "The Duty of Our Life", was delivered by Vasile Pârvan on 3 November 1919. The official inauguration took place between 31 January and 2 February 1920, in the presence of King Ferdinand I of Romania. The first elected rector was Sextil Pușcariu.
In 1940, after the territorial revision imposed by the Second Vienna Award, Hungary obtained the territory of Northern Transylvania, and the Romanian university was moved to Timișoara and Sibiu. The former Hungarian university reformed in the city, out of the University of Szeged. After the end of the Second World War and the annulling of Hungary's territorial gains, on 1 June 1945, Romanian authorities returned to Cluj the King Ferdinand I University (later renamed Victor Babeș University), and established the Bolyai University, a state institution teaching in Hungarian, with four faculties (Letters [Philology] and Philosophy, Law and Political Economy, Sciences, and Human Medicine which, in 1948, was separated and moved to Târgu Mureș to form the University of Medicine and Pharmacy).
In the spring of 1959, the two educational institutions were united as the Babeș-Bolyai University, after two renowned scholars of Transylvania: Romanian physician and bacteriologist Victor Babeș (co-founder of modern microbiology) and Hungarian mathematician János Bolyai (known for developing absolute geometry). In 1995, the Babeș-Bolyai University reorganized its structure, introducing a multicultural based education.
UBB is today a complex university, having programs ranging from art/humanities, social sciences, as well as life and natural sciences, to mathematics/computer sciences alongside engineering and technology.
Campuses
The main campus is located in the city of Cluj-Napoca, with university buildings spread across the city. The university has 17 student housing areas, totaling 5,280 residential quarters (4,964 for students, 100 for athletes and 216 for PhD); most notable are Hașdeu and Economica. All dormitories are renovated, thermally insulated, have double-glazed windows, laminate flooring and chipboard or wood furniture. The Lucian Blaga University Library is located in the city centre. The university also has several colleges located in other cities spread across the Transylvania and Maramureș historical regions.
Within the university's cultural possessions are several museums, such as the University Museum (established in April 2001, with a collection of more than 750 original and facsimile pieces), the Mineralogical Museum, the Botanical Museum, the Paleontology-Stratigraphy Museum, the Vivarium and the Zoological Museum.
Academics Babeș-Bolyai University has almost 50.000 students in 2021. Between 1993 and 2021, the number of students has quadrupled, from 12,247 in 1993 to 48,620 in 2021. The structure of the student body is composed out of 2,239 PhD students, 9,543 master's degree students, and 33,139 undergraduates. The university has 22 faculties and an academic community of over 55.000 members. It offers bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees, along with advanced postgraduate studies. UBB is the only university in Europe that has four faculties of theology (Orthodox, Reformed, Roman Catholic, and Greek Catholic).
The university is a multicultural institution which is very well illustrated by its structure: there are 291 study programmes in Romanian (148 bachelor's studies and 143 master's studies); 110 study programmes in Hungarian (70 bachelor's studies and 40 master's studies); and 15 study programmes in German (10 bachelor's studies and 5 master's studies)."Raportul Rectorului privind starea Universitatii Babes-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca în anul 2019" The Hungarian and German minorities are proportionately represented in the Professors' Council and the University Senate.
41.5% of foreign students come from Moldova and Ukraine, 27.4% from EU and EEA, and 31.1% from non-EU and non-EEA states.
Faculties Faculty Address Specializations Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics 1 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street Faculty of Physics 1 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering 11 Arany János Street Faculty of Geography 44 Republicii Street Faculty of Biology and Geology 5–7 Clinicilor Street Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Engineering 30 Fântânele Street Faculty of Law 11 Avram Iancu Street Faculty of Literature 31 Horea Street Faculty of History and Philosophy 1 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street Faculty of Sociology and Social Assistance 128–130 21 Decembrie 1989 Boulevard Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences 7 Sindicatelor Street Faculty of Economics and Business Administration 58–60 Teodor Mihali Street Faculty of European Studies 1 Emmanuel de Martonne Street Faculty of Business 7 Horea Street Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences 71 General Traian Moșoiu Street Faculty of Physical Education and Sport 7 Pandurilor Street Faculty of Orthodox Theology Episcop Nicolae Ivan, F. N. Street Faculty of Greek Catholic Theology 26 Moților Street Faculty of Reformed Theology 7 Horea Street Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology 2 Iuliu Maniu Street Faculty of Theatre and Television 1 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street
Ranking
UBB typically occupies the first position among the Romanian universities in the major international ranking of universities. In 2016, the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research commissioned the University Metaranking, combining the major international rankings of universities, as recognized by IREG). Since 2016, UBB occupies the first position among Romanian universities in the same Metaranking, although the classification process is now undertaken by the independent organization."Metarankingul Universitar-2020""Metarankingul Universitar-2021" In February 2022, the Ministry of Education issued a new methodology and metaranking, where UBB also occupied the first place."Raport anual privind Metarankingul Național aferent anului 2021" In 2019, based on British QS STAR academic audit,"QS Stars rating system" UBB was evaluated as an international university with excellence in teaching and research. In 2021, another QS audit granted the university a five-star rating, which is indicative of a world-class university, with an internationally recognized reputation across multiple academic fields."UBB is the first Romanian University Ranked World-Class 5 stars”
Hungarian section