University of Niš

University in Serbia

The University of Niš is a public university in Serbia. It was founded in 1965 and consists of 13 faculties with 1,492 academic staff and around 20,500 students (as of 2018–19 school year). Since its founding, the university diploma has been acquired by more than 50,000 students, including 1,300 foreigners. It has a university library "Nikola Tesla"; the Faculty of Technology is located in Leskovac, Pedagogy Faculty in Vranje and Agriculture Faculty in Kruševac.

The University of Niš was incorporated as an independent degree granting institution on 15 June 1965. In 1960 the first undergraduate programs commenced in Niš under the academic patronage of the University of Belgrade. They were institutionalized as the faculties of Law & Economics, Medicine, and Engineering. The university started its independent life with 234 full time teaching staff and 6,800 students.

The university main offices are in one of the most representative city structures, an edifice built in the late 19th century, which was formally recognized as a cultural treasure of major significance in 1979. The building was constructed in 1887, in the city center, on the right bank of the river Nisava. The building is in the neo Renaissance style, designed by an unknown Viennese architect. It first housed the District Court, the District Government and the military headquarters and then, from July 26, 1914 to October 16, 1915, when Niš was the Serbian war capital, the building was the seat of the Serbian government and its Ministry of the Interior. The formal declaration of war was directed from Austria Hungary on July 28, 1914 to the building. In 1930, the building became the administrative seat of the Morava County, after the World War II it housed the District Administration, while in 1967 it was assigned to the permanent use to the university. In 2008, marking the 120th anniversary of its building, the university completed construction work to enable access for persons with disabilities to all university facilities.