University of Coimbra

The University of Coimbra (UC) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. Officially chartered by King Denis on 1 March 1290, and recognised by Pope Nicholas IV on 9 August 1290, it is the oldest university in Portugal and one of the world's oldest in continuous operations, having begun operations in Lisbon before moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. It had an influential role in the development of higher education in the Portuguese-speaking countries, and in their history. Due to its historic influence, architecture, unique culture and traditions, it was declared in 2013 a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The university is organized into eight faculties, granting bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in nearly all major fields. It lends its name to the Coimbra Group of European research universities founded in 1985, of which it was a founding member. Enrolling over 25,000 students, more than 15% of whom are international, it is one of Portugal's most cosmopolitan universities.

Coimbra's alumni over the centuries include Portugal's national poet Luís de Camões, the mathematician Pedro Nunes, many statesmen, prime ministers and presidents of Portugal, and Nobel Prize laureate António Egaz Moniz.

History

The university was founded, or ratified, in 1290 by King Dinis, having begun its existence in Lisbon with the name Studium Generale (Estudo Geral). Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis, the royal charter announcing the institution of the university, was dated 1 March of that year, although efforts had been made at least since 1288 to create this first University in Portugal; it is thus the second oldest of such establishments in the Iberian Peninsula. The papal confirmation was also given in 1290 (on 9 August of that year), during the papacy of Nicholas IV. In accordance with the papal bull, all the "licit" faculties, with the exception of that of Theology, could be established. Thus the Faculties of Arts, Law, Canon Law and Medicine were the first to be created. It was, however, not to remain in Lisbon for long. In 1308, likely due to problems of emancipation from the Church (relations between the latter and the political power being somewhat strained at the time) and conflicts between the inhabitants of the city and the students, the university moved to Coimbra. This town already had old traditions in education, being home to the highly successful school of the Monastery of Santa Cruz. The university was then established on the site known as "Estudos Velhos", which corresponds roughly to the area where the Main Library now stands.

In 1338, during the reign of Afonso IV, it was once again transferred to Lisbon, from whence it returned in 1354, this time to the centre of the town which was then in full expansion. In 1377, during the reign of King Fernando, it was transferred yet again to Lisbon, where it would remain for over a century and a half. The authorization for a Faculty of Theology probably dates from this period – around 1380.

In 1537, during the reign of João III (1521–1557), the university moved definitively to Coimbra, where it was installed in the Alcaçova Palace which was subsequently purchased from the royal family in 1597.

During the same 1521–1557 period, significant reforms were carried out. Both the university as an institution, and all of its library's books were moved from Lisbon to Coimbra. Most of the new faculty, previously affiliated to the Spanish University of Salamanca, was initially not tenured at Coimbra and, subsequently, professors did not generally relocate. Faculties, hitherto scattered in different buildings, were brought together in the "Palacio del Rey", while other new and prestigious Spanish professors were also invited. At the faculty of Theology taught Alfonso de Prado and Antonio de Fonseca, the latter a doctor of Paris; at the faculty of Law, the famous canonist Martin de Azpilcueta (Doctor Navarrus), Manuel de Costa, and Antonio Francisco Suárez, all three from Salamanca. Meanwhile, Francisco Franco (chamber physician to John III) and Rodrigo Reinoso taught at the School of Medicine. Classical languages and literatures were taught by professors such as Cipriano Suárez, the author of a famous treatise on rhetoric (De arte rhetorica libri tres, ex Aristotele, Cicerone et Quintiliano praecipue deprompti), at the Colegio de la Artes, which young students learnt as a preparation for further academic studies; this college, independent at first, was eventually merged with the college of Theology, and entrusted to the Jesuits. One of its first professors was the Scotch Latinist George Buchanan, later a follower of John Knox and a reviler of Mary Stuart. The colleges of Sao Pedro and São Paulo were founded for graduates (doctors) intending to pursue teaching careers; other colleges received students of various religious orders.

Organisation

Its governance is assured by the Rector, the Senate and the University Assembly, the last responsible for the election of the Rector and the Senate. The Rector has the main responsibility for the strategic direction and the overall administration of the university, together with the Senate and assisted by the Administrative Council.

The university is divided into eight different faculties (Letters, Law, Medicine, Sciences & Technology, Pharmacy, Economics, Psychology & Education Sciences and Sports Sciences & Physical Education), comprising about 25,000 students. The Faculty of Sciences and Technology (FCTUC) is the largest by number of professors and students, awards the highest number of academic degrees, and manages more classrooms and research units than any other in the UC. Both the National Legal Medicine Institute, an organization under direct supervision of the Portuguese Ministry of the Justice, which provides forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of Portugal, and the University of Coimbra's teaching hospital, HUC (Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra), a university hospital known as a centre of research with a broad range of clinical services and medical specialties, are managed by the Faculty of Medicine (FMUC).

The university harbours a huge central library (University of Coimbra General Library), botanical gardens (Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra), stadiums and other sports facilities (Estádio Universitário de Coimbra sports complex and Campo de Santa Cruz stadium), an astronomical observatory, a publishing house, a private chapel (São Miguel Chapel), a theatre (Teatro Académico de Gil Vicente), and many support facilities such as dining halls and studying rooms. In addition, the university manages several museums and other cultural organizations, including a science museum (Science Museum of the University of Coimbra), a museum of sacred art (Sacred Art Museum of the University of Coimbra), and an academic museum (Academic Museum of the University of Coimbra).

The university has five main campuses or other sites:

Pólo I (the monumental ancient university core centre, with the main library and administration services, as well as faculties of law, medicine, letters, psychology, and natural sciences – active since the early university times before the 16th century, with major expansions in the 18th century and from the 1940s to the 1960s, during Estado Novo)

Pólo II (engineering, sciences & technology – built during the 1990s and 2000s)

Students

Students are represented by the students' union Associação Académica de Coimbra (AAC). Formed on 3 November 1887, it is the oldest university students' union in Portugal, with a long history of struggle against unpopular state policies, forming notable politicians and intellectuals along the way. It also harbours a very dynamic associative life, with its numerous sports and cultural sections, as well as a number of other autonomous organizations. It is an important structure of extracurricular formation of the University of Coimbra's students and a major institution of the city itself. The AAC develops activities such as theatre, cinema, radio and television broadcast, music, choral singing, journalism or philately, as well as rowing, athletics and many other sports. Every student, and occasionally some non-students, are entitled to belong to these sections.

Culture, sports and traditions

The university's academic traditions and institutions color the life of the city. The old "Republics" (autonomous students' residences) remain, as well as some traditional festivities, most notably the "Queima das Fitas" (a celebration of graduation's end, symbolized by the burning of the ribbons with the colors of each of the eight faculties), the "Festa das Latas" (a homecoming), the frequent use of traditional attire, the "Fado de Coimbra" (Coimbra's fado, now sung in organized shows rather than the traditional street serenades), and the academic ceremonies (namely the conferring of doctorate degrees).

The official colors of the Faculties of the University of Coimbra are:

• Faculty of Law: Red
• Faculty of Medicine: Yellow
• Faculty of Humanities: Dark Blue
• Faculty of Sciences & Technology: Light Blue
• Faculty of Pharmacy: Purple
• Faculty of Economics: Red and White
• Faculty of Psychology & Education Sciences: Orange
• Faculty of Sports Sciences & Physical Education: Brown

These colors are used in the institutional seal and other symbols of each faculty, in the university ceremonies conferring doctorate degrees, and are also used by the students in their ribbons related with the academic traditions (see Queima das Fitas (The Burning of the Ribbons)). The color of the university seal and of the Rector's office, representing the entire institution as a whole, is dark green. The flag of the University of Coimbra (white flag with the dark green seal in the middle) is always erected, over the top of the old university tower, on 1 March, which is the day of the university, being an occasion for a week of debates, conferences, workshops, and special events related with multiple aspects of the institution.

The Praxe (Praxis) is a body of ritual and custom founded upon ancient traditions and it is a controversial part of Coimbra's academic life to which no university student is indifferent. Part of the attraction of Coimbra's academic life, aside from its recognized excellence is that it is more Praxe, having unique rituals that set it apart from other institutions and give its students a special sense of participation in academic rituals that developed hundreds of years ago. Though these rituals are seen as crude and violent by some, they remain an important reference in the academic experience of the students for others. The rules of the Praxe are contained in a book (The Code of Academic Praxis, by a committee of older students of the AAC – Associação Académica de Coimbra), which prescribes appropriate student behavior for activities like drafting, evaluation, groups or bands and the Burning of the Ribbons rituals. Even inside the AAC, Coimbra's student organisation, there are anti-Praxe groups and people who advocate for more thorough reforms in traditional rituals. The Freshman (1st yr.) period (the lowest category in the Praxe hierarchy) is, for many students, a time of good and lasting memories of never to be repeated events. One of the most visible and distinctive traditions is the use of the academic costume of the University of Coimbra, a black suit and cape worn on special occasions by the students, which was adopted by other Portuguese universities and is actually used by students of almost all higher education institutions in the city and across the country.

Business incubator and science park

The Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), founded by the University of Coimbra, is a business incubator and an innovation and technology transfer center of the university, working for the business and applied research communities. The Coimbra iParque is a science park which has among its several founders and associates the University of Coimbra. Notable startup companies born from the University of Coimbra include ISA, Critical Software, Crioestaminal, Ciberbit and Feedzai.

Academics

Reputation

University of Coimbra's reputation in teaching and research is testified by independent external rankings and reports. According to The Times Higher Education Supplement (2007 QS World University Rankings, by QS – Quacquarelli Symonds), the University of Coimbra was ranked number 3 among the universities in the Portuguese-speaking countries (behind the University of São Paulo and

the University of Campinas), and ranked 318 in the overall world rank. It was ranked number one among the universities of the Portuguese-speaking countries in 2006. It tends to be ranked number one (consistently one of the top) in Portugal, number 3 among the universities in the Portuguese-speaking countries, and number 394 in the world (234 in Natural Sciences, 260 in Engineering & IT, 282 in Social Sciences, 290 in Arts & Humanities, 325 in Life Sciences). In addition, it has students from 70 different nationalities; almost 20% of its students are foreigners, being among Portugal's most international universities.

The University of Coimbra is among the major science and technology hubs for applied and fundamental research in Portugal. One of the most powerful supercomputers in Portugal belongs to the University of Coimbra and is managed by the Laboratory for Advanced Computing of the Department of Physics at the University of Coimbra. Built in the mid-2000s, the supercomputer was called Milipeia, using 528 processors and 1000 GB of memory. Its capacity has been expanded since then. The main tasks of the university's supercomputer include modeling and calculus in molecular biology, genetics, particle physics, astrophysics, mathematics, engineering, geophysics, condensed matter physics, etc. Besides University of Coimbra's researchers, other Portuguese scientific community members are allowed to work with Milipeia.

The university is also notorious in Portugal for being the national university with the highest rate of academic inbreeding, with 80% of its hired faculty having obtained their doctoral degrees at the University of Coimbra, this factor is most pronounced at the Faculty of Law (100%) and the Faculty of Medicine (97%).

Antisemitism

In 2023–2026, in the wake of the Gaza war, the university was criticized for discrimination, antisemitism and hosting pro-Hamas propaganda. Pro-Israeli NGO Combat Antisemitism Movement accused university faculty members of hanging signs praising Yahya Sinwar and others calling to kick out all Israelis. On 11 November 2025, testimonies of hatred and discrimination together with leaked documents were given at the European Parliament under the European Whistleblower Protection Directive. In additional cases, students were found sharing pro-Nazi material within student Whatsapp groups. A landmark ruling made on 27 March 2026 by the Ombudsman of Portugal concluded that the university has broken the principle of material truth, article 115 of the Portuguese administrative law, by failing to investigate reports of antisemitic harassment within its establishment. Furthermore, according to the ruling, the university has violated the Constitution of Portugal by threatening a student from exposing harassment within the establishment with legal means. The ruling forced the university to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism and offer individual reparations to the student involved. News Now further accused professors of promoting terror organizations, violating national anti-terror laws. In August 2026, News Now reported that some of the faculties' outer walls contained posters and stickers promoting Yahya Sinwar and further discriminatory material against "Zionists". The university was also criticized for partnering as a research institution in the OppAttune project for reducing political extremism, while extremism was shown on its walls, and for having medical students spreading hate speech. In August 13, 2026, it was published that the Secretary of Higher Education ordered to start a criminal investigation over allegations of "discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence, public glorification or advocacy of a terrorist organization or offense, threats and simple assault" that occurred at and around the university between at least July 2024 to May 2026. The request was sent to the Attorney General after a letter that was signed by multiple civilians was forwarded from the Prime Minister office.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)