July 23, 2019
In 1919 Regent Aleksander Karađorđević signed the University in Ljubljana of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Act. The University’s founding members were the Faculties of Arts, Medicine, Law, Technical and Theology.
In the first study year of 1919/20, 942 students were enrolled at the University of Ljubljana, 914 men and 28 women. Although men dominated in numbers, the first doctoral degree was, however, awarded to a woman, which was quite unusual in Europe at the time. The first University of Ljubljana PhD was earned by Ana Mayer on July 15 for her successful defence of a doctoral thesis titled “On Formalin's Effects on Starch”. However, between the wars the University remained very conservative with regard to the acceptance of women, who nevertheless never gave up trying to gain admission.
Women make up more than half of the 37,800 students enrolled at the University of Ljubljana today. With 23 faculties and three art academies all areas of study are covered, from the sciences, social sciences and humanities to the arts, technology and medical science. Various ranking lists place the University of Ljubljana among the top 3% of the best universities in the world.
