The University of Lorraine was founded in 1572 and became an institution created after the merger of 4 universities namely Poincaré University (Nancy 1), Nancy 2 University and Paul Verlaine University - Metzs and the National Polytechnic Institute of Lorraine (INPL) in 2012, since then it is known to be a hub of scientific advancement, knowledge transfer and economic growth. The university is about 30 minutes away from Paris by train. It is one of the largest universities in the country with 43 teaching departments and 60 research centres and campuses, that are situated throughout the region in over 52 sites. In order to help students develop individualized career paths, UL offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in Sciences, Health and Technology, Human and Social Sciences, Arts, Literature, Languages, Law, Business & Economics and Computer Science, Education, Psychology and several Engineering schools. The university is well known for its 26 libraries and additional student access to all the libraries of its partner universities like University of Kaiserslautern, University of Liège, University of Saar, University of Trier and University of Luxembourg. Some of the exciting sports facilities in the campuses include wheelchair sports, the biggest climbing wall in Lorraine and fencing.