The University of Belgrade () is a public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments by 1838 to form a single university. The university has around 59,600 enrolled students and over 4,600 academic staff members. Since its founding, the university has educated more than 378,000 bachelors, approximately 25,100 master's, 29,000 specialists, and 14,670 doctors. The university comprises 31 faculties, 12 research institutes, the university library, and 9 university centres. The faculties are organized into four groups: social sciences and humanities; medical sciences; natural sciences and mathematics; and technological sciences.
History
19th century
The predecessor to the University of Belgrade was established in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School by Dositej Obradović, a key Serbian figure in the Age of Enlightenment. It was the highest ranking educational institution in Serbia between 1808 and 1905, as the first Higher School (1808–1813), the Belgrade Lyceum ( / Beogradski Licej; 1838–1863), and the second Higher School (1863–1905). It was initially located at the Princess Ljubica's Residence building and then moved to another significant site in Belgrade, the Captain Miša’s Mansion, which today serves as the university's seat.
20th century
The University of Belgrade witnessed a massive growth and expansion in the years before the Second World War and especially after the founding of the second Yugoslavia. The first woman graduated from the University of Belgrade's Law School in 1914.Kandić Ljubica, Istorija Pravnog fakulteta 1905-1941, Zavod za udžbenike Beograd (Belgrade, 2002),
In the 1960s and 70s, the university developed into a remarkable regional and international educational institution. Many students from other countries were trained there. Up to 40,000 students from Africa alone studied at the University of Belgrade during the existence of the SFR Yugoslavia. In the socialist Yugoslavia, the university was expanded, but it was also exposed to state and ideological influence. It has also been the driving force for the establishment of almost all other universities in today's Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and several universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 1968, its students organized the first mass protest in post-World War II Yugoslavia.
In the early 1990s the quality of university programs deteriorated as a consequence of the political instability in the country and the subsequent wars of Yugoslavia. There was a lack of financial resources and the quality dropped significantly. During the Milošević government in Serbia, the university had to face external political pressure and the lack of academic and administrative autonomy.Gross Jan, Banac Ivo et al., Fired in Belgrade, The New York Review of Books (1990). Retrieved 2010-05-10.
In the mid-1990s, the University of Belgrade became an internationally recognized center of the political opposition in Serbia. Massive anti-government protests were staged by the Belgrade students and professors. The university's student organizations (especially "Otpor!") significantly contributed to overthrowing the government.Šušak Bojana, An Alternative to War, In The Road to War in Serbia: Trauma and Catharsis, ed. Neboiša Popov (Budapest 2000), pp. 479–508, p. 500.
21st century The university has become a signatory of the Bologna declaration. Being one of Europe's largest universities with an enrollment of nearly 90,000 students, the university broadly cooperates with international academic institutions and is involved in countless bilateral and multilateral academic projects.
Campus
Having developed with the city in the 19th century, a number of the university buildings are an important part of Belgrade’s architecture and cultural heritage. Former sites include today's Museum of Vuk and Dositej and Princess Ljubica's Residence buildings, both of them being recognized as Belgrade's topmost historic buildings.Register, Sites of Outstanding Value , Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-05-11. The historical Subotica Law School (1920-1941) was also a part of the University of Belgrade. Some of the post-World War II facilities were built in the brutalist style. The university has sites throughout the city, with the two major campuses, one next to the Prince Michael Street at Studentski Trg and the other on King Alexandar Boulevard. It has eleven dormitories scattered throughout the city's urban neighborhoods for 11,340 students, including one dormitory complex in New Belgrade. Many of the schools have separate buildings at various locations in Belgrade. The university also owns several endowment buildings in the downtown district, most of them being built in the 19th and early 20th century.
The central administrative building, Faculty of Philology and Faculty of Philosophy are located at Studentski Trg. The Faculty of Biology, Faculty of Geography, Faculty of Mathematics, Faculty for Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Physics and Faculty of Chemistry are situated in one building at Studentski Trg as well. The University Library, Law School, Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering are situated at the King Alexandar Boulevard campus.
Other major academic sites include the School of Economics building near the downtown district, the Faculty of Orthodox Theology building at Bogoslovija (Palilula neighborhood), the Teachers’ Training Faculty building in the Savski Venac municipality, the Faculty of Security Studies building in the Vračar neighborhood, and the Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation building in the Dorćol neighborhood. The School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine share a building near the Karađorđev Park, next to several hospitals. Medical teaching facilities, such as the University Hospital Center or Institute of Mental Health are on other locations within the city. The Faculty of Agriculture is situated alongside the Zemun City Park and it operates the Radmilovac experimental farm in Grocka. The Faculty of Political Sciences and Faculty of Organizational Sciences are situated close to each other in the same street of the Voždovac neighborhood. Organization and administration The University of Belgrade is governed by the 44-member University Senate elected for a three-year term. The senate is composed of the rector, 4 vice-rectors, 31 deans, 4 presidents of the faculty Group Councils and 4 directors of scientific institutes. 8 student-representatives with a one-year term elected by the university's Student Parliament participate in the work of the Senate. The rector provides governance and represents the university externally.The University Senate , University of Belgrade website. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
The University Council is a 31-member managing body. The university entrusts 21 members, 5 are appointed by the Serbian government and 5 elected by the university's Student Parliament. The University Council has its president (chairperson) and vice president. In addition to these bodies, the university has advisory academic councils and professional boards, appointed to adopt decisions and state their opinion on the election of teaching staff.The University Council , University of Belgrade website. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
Faculties The university is divided into 31 faculties, including (with data about academic staff and number of students as of 2023–24 school year): Faculty Location Academic staff Students Law Belgrade 101 7,910 Philology Belgrade 309 6,959 Organizational Sciences Belgrade 186 6,835 Economics Belgrade 116 6,777 Medicine Belgrade 724 6,092 Electrical Engineering Belgrade 168 5,335 Mechanical Engineering Belgrade 203 4,222 Philosophy Belgrade 279 4,114 Political Sciences Belgrade 115 3,770 Agriculture Belgrade 288 3,544 Pharmacy Belgrade 166 2,899 Civil Engineering Belgrade 149 2,703 Security Studies Belgrade 40 2,377 Mathematics Belgrade 155 2,198 Transport and Traffic Engineering Belgrade 149 2,168 Special Education and Rehabilitation Belgrade 94 2,157 Pedagogy Belgrade 106 1,963 Technology and Metallurgy Belgrade 150 1,926 Biology Belgrade 108 1,819 Architecture Belgrade 140 1,756 Dentistry Belgrade 137 1,677 Veterinary Medicine Belgrade 133 1,578 Sport and Physical Education Belgrade 60 1,477 Eastern Orthodox Theology Belgrade 40 1,443 Geography Belgrade 83 1,291 Forestry Belgrade 103 1,287 Mining and Geology Belgrade 246 1,070 Chemistry Belgrade 83 960 Physics Belgrade 50 536 Technical Bor 87 530 Physical Chemistry Belgrade 44 480 Interdisciplinary Studies Belgrade - 299 Total 4,720 89,622
Research institutes Institute for Applied Nuclear Energy Institute for Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy Institute of History Institute for Medical Research Institute for Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering Institute for Multidisciplinary Research Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory Institute of Physics Mihajlo Pupin Institute Nikola Tesla Institute of Electrical Engineering Siniša Stanković Institute for Biological Research Vinča Nuclear Institute
Centers Information Center Computer Center Serbian-Japanese Center for Scientific Simulations Center for Career Development Center for Strategic Management Center for Technology Transfer Center for Students with Disabilities Center for Quality Assurance Center for Lifelong Learning
Academics
The Belgrade Law School, established in 1808, is a regional leader in legal education and one of the largest law schools in the Balkans. Its law education prepares students for working in law practice, business, public service and teaching. The Residence of Princess Ljubica as well as the Captain Miša Mansion once used to be home to this educational institution when it was within the Belgrade Higher School. Since its founding, it has educated almost 50,000 law graduates, around 1,200 magistri iuris and 830 doctores iuris, as well as hundreds of specialists in various areas. Many Faculty of Law alumni have become recognized experts and scholars in all branches of law, law professors and high ranking government officials.
The Law School's historic building, constructed by Serbian architect Petar Bajalović in 1941, comprises about of space. All the law schools established subsequently in Serbia (Subotica, Novi Sad, Pristina, Niš, Kragujevac), Montenegro (Podgorica), and in other parts of the former Yugoslavia (Sarajevo, Skopje) were formed from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law as a core."University of Belgrade - The Seedbed of University Education", Belgrade Law School homepage. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
Initially established in 1937, the Faculty of Economics was the first centre of higher education dedicated to the study of economics in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Its curriculum includes courses in economic analysis and policy; marketing; accounting, auditing and financial management; trade and commerce; finance, banking and insurance; tourism and hotel industry; statistics and informatics; management and international economics and foreign trade.About section , University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics homepage. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
The Faculty of Philosophy is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Serbia, founded in the early 19th century. It employs a staff of 255 teachers and has approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students within nine departments.University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy homepage. Retrieved 2010-05-11.