The "Babes-Bolyai" University

Its history dates from 1567, when prince Ioan Sigismund established an Academy of Studies in Sebes-Alba. In 1581, Stefan Bathory founded a college in Cluj, under the control of the Jesuits, which was closed later on. The Protestants, the Unitarians, the Calvinists and the Catholics established, one by one, other colleges. In 1776, the Empress Maria Teresa established in Cluj a German university which was replaced afterwards by the famous Piarist Highschool, with classes in Latin.

In 1848, during the European revolutions along with the nation's affirmation, people started considering a University in Romanian. Following the Romanians' request, in 1868, the foundation of a University in Cluj in Romanian, Hungarian and German was started, but the 1872 authorities established the University of Cluj only in Hungarian. After World War 1, during the Great Union in 1918, the University of Cluj, like the universities of Strasbourg and Bratislava, was taken by the authorities and transformed into a Romanian institution. The Hungarian professors who refused the oath of faith to the new State of Romania established a Hungarian University in Szeged. In May 12th, 1919, The Romanian University of Cluj was founded but, in 1940, because of the Vienna Diktat, the University was moved in Timisoara and Sibiu and the Hungarian University from Szeged was brought to Cluj. After World War 2 and the cancellation of the Vienna Diktat, in 1945 the Romanian authorities established the Hungarian University called « Bolyai », and the two universities finally merged in 1959 under the name « Babes-Bolyai University », after the names of the two savants: the biologist Victor Babes and the mathematician Janos Bolyai.
Nowadays, the Babes-Bolyai University is one of the most important institutions of public higher education from the country, with over 56.000 students.
 
The University distinguishes as a multicultural institution. Among its 21 faculties, 17 offer study programs in Romanian and Hungarian and 11 in Romanian and German.