The University of Lausanne (UNIL; French: Université de Lausanne) in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology,[1] before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second oldest in Switzerland, and one of the oldest universities in the world to be in continuous operation. As of fall 2017, about 15,000 students and 3,300 employees studied and worked at the university. Approximately 1,500 international students attend the university (120 nationalities), which has a wide curriculum including exchange programs with other universities.
The university was founded in 1537 as the Schola Lausannensis, one year after Bern annexed the territory of Barony of Vaud from the Duchy of Savoy, as a school of theology with the purpose of training pastors for the church.[2] It enjoyed great renown in its early years for being the first and, until the establishment of the Academy of Geneva in 1559, the only French-languageProtestant school of theology. It quickly became a center of humanist learning, with thinkers such as Corderius and Celio Secondo Curione among its professors.[2] In 1558, the school had 700 students. It entered into a period of decline in the following years, after several members of the academic staff, including rectorTheodore Beza and Pierre Viret, resigned their seats to join the newly established Academy of Geneva.[2]
In the 17th century, the institution became known as the Academy of Lausanne (Académie de Lausanne).[2] In 1741, it counted 150 students and seven professors. Starting in 1837, the academy was modernized by the authorities of the canton of Vaud, becoming a secular institution divided into three faculties (letters and sciences, theology, and law).[2] It continued to expand throughout the second half of the 19th century, until 1890, with the establishment of a medicine course, the academy received the name and status of a university.[2]
From 1970, the university moved progressively from the old centre of Lausanne, around the Cathedral and Château, to its present site at Dorigny.
The end of the 20th century, witnessed the beginnings of an ambitious project aiming at greater co-operation and development among the French-speaking universities of Lausanne, Geneva, and Neuchâtel, together with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Among others, this led to the transfer of the sections of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry from the university to the EPFL; the funds that were made available following this transfer were invested in the development of the life sciences at the university, including the creation of a Center for Integrative Genomics.
In 2003, two new faculties were founded, concentrating on the life and human sciences: the Faculty of Biology and Medicine and the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment.
Since August 2021, the rector of the University of Lausanne is Frédéric Herman; before then, the university was led by Nouria Hernandez (2016–2021) and by Dominique Arlettaz (2006–2016).
The UNIL and the EPFL share an active sports centre located on the campus, on the shores of Lake Geneva[4] and their campus is also equipped with a bicycle sharing system.[5]
The university campus is made up of individual buildings with a park and arboretum in between. The university library also serves as eating hall and is centrally located. The view from the library across the sports fields to the lake of Geneva and the French and Swiss Alps. On a clear day, Mont Blanc can be seen.
The Génopode building of the University of Lausanne hosts the Center for Integrative Genomics of the University of Lausanne and the central administration of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics.
The School of Criminal Justice of the UNIL is the world's oldest school of forensic science and is one of the only European institution to offer a complete education in forensic sciences.
In addition to its main campus at the lakeside, the University of Lausanne also has other sites. The Faculty of Biology and Medicine is also located in two other sites: around the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) (site called Bugnon) and in Épalinges (to the north of Lausanne).
The University of Lausanne is consistently ranked among the top 100 universities in the world. Between 2010 and 2018, the Leiden Ranking (CWTS) ranked the University of Lausanne 57th-98th globally, and 15th-38th among all universities in Europe.[15] According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE), the University of Lausanne ranked 62nd in life sciences worldwide (4th in Switzerland) in 2017.[16] The QS World University Rankings (QS)[17] placed the University of Lausanne 96th in life science and medicine.[18] The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) ranked the University of Lausanne 101-150 globally.[19]
Below are rankings for the University of Lausanne by the Leiden Ranking (CWTS).[15]
The UNIL publishes a free monthly campus magazine entitled L'Uniscope[20] The UNIL also publishes Allez savoir !,[21] a free magazine aimed at a larger audience (general public), in January, May, and September.
Besides these, L'auditoire is the students' newspapers from both UNIL and EPFL, with a circulation of 19,000.
In 2011, an on-line network of the UNIL alumni, called ALUMNIL, was created.[22] Since then, regular events (throughout the year) and an annual party (in autumn) are organised every year for the alumni.
Vilfredo Pareto (1848–1923) Economist, engineer, sociologist, philosopher, Professor of Economics at University of Lausanne, co-founder of the Lausanne School of economics, together with Léon Walras
Jean Piccard (1884–1963), Swiss-born American chemist, engineer, professor and high-altitude balloonist.
Jean de Serres (1540–1598), French humanist, Plato translator, Calvinist.
Léon Walras (1834–1910) Economist, Professor of Economics at University of Lausanne, co-founder of the Lausanne School of economics, together with: Vilfredo Pareto
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