History, Affiliations and Rankings
The origin of the University of Wroclaw goes back to the founding of Leopoldina University by the founding document of Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg on October 21, 1702. It began operations on November 15 of the same year and Johannes Adrian von Plencken was appointed Chancellor. In 1811 the university was re-established as Universitas Litterarum Wratislaviensis through a merger with the Protestant University of Viadrina. In 1911 it was renamed as Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Wroclaw. In 1945, the Soviet Red Army acquired the city and reorganised the institution into the University of Wroclaw, giving it the title of Polish State University. In 2015, the university restored degrees that German Jews had been stripped of by the Nazis because of German anti-Semitism. According to the Ministry of Higher Education, the Faculty of Social Sciences is one of the best in Poland, while the Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics is one of the largest. It is currently ranked among the best public research universities in Poland. It is ranked at #970 in Best Global Universities, and at #8 in Best Global Universities in Poland.
Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses
The University of Wroclaw has a campus in Wroclaw, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, that boasts world-class infrastructure and offers a variety of modern amenities. The campus has large classrooms, a huge library, well-equipped laboratories, spacious study rooms, and student lounges. It offers students facilities to practice various sports such as aerobics, badminton, karate, basketball, cross-country skiing, track and field, snowboarding, skiing, soccer, swimming, volleyball, chess, table tennis, tennis, rowing, floorball and rock climbing. In addition, it hosts 170 student groups and organisations. There are 10 faculties with 44 fields of study where the media language is mainly Polish and few English. The faculties include Faculty of Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Faculty of Philology, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Faculty of History and Pedagogy, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics. The University of Wroc?aw offers courses at bachelor's, master's and doctoral level. All diplomas awarded by the university are recognized worldwide. The university offers around 80 bachelor’s and 60 master’s programs in various fields like Biotechnology, Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, Business, Political Science, Journalism, Law, Tourism, Philosophy, and Sociology.
Accomplishments and Alumni
The University of Wroc?aw participates in the Lower Silesian Entrepreneurship Incubator, which aims to help students to start their own business by offering free business advice, organising conferences and seminars, subsidising selected investments and offering office space. The Lower Silesian Entrepreneurship Incubator is an initiative of twelve universities and the Wroc?aw Technology Park, a technology centre with laboratories, offices, a conference centre and modern multimedia devices. The university has produced around 9 Nobel Prize winners, including Erwin Schrödinger, Max Born and Fritz Haber. Some of the notable alumni of the university are Kornel Morawiecki (Polish Politician), Anna German (Singer), Bodo Kox (Polish film director).
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
The institution is home to more than 19,900 full-time students, more than 5,600 part-time students and more than 1,900 teachers. It maintains partnerships with numerous international universities in 26 countries, including the USA, China, Japan, France, Spain, Russia and Peru. Cooperation offers students the opportunity to take part in exceptional study programs abroad.
