Université Nice-Sophia-Antipolis

French university in Nice

The University of Nice Sophia Antipolis was a university located in Nice, France and neighboring areas. It was founded in 1965 and was organized in eight faculties, two autonomous institutes and an engineering school. It was merged in 2019 into the Côte d'Azur University. It also hosts the first WWW Interactive Multipurpose Server. It is a member of the Coordination of French Research Intensive Universities, the equivalent of the Russell Group in the UK.

The University of Nice was officially established by decree dated October 23, 1965. However, it has roots that go back to the 17th century, with the Collegium Jurisconsultorum Niciensium created in 1639 by the Princes of Savoy. It was composed of a body of jurisconsuls (law consultants and lawyers) and it lasted until Nice was incorporated into France in 1860. In the 17th century, courses were taught at its College of Medicine. The University of Nice's vocation was asserted at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the combined efforts of several university members, such as the Dean Louis Trotabas and Maurice Mignon. In 1933 with the help of local communities and the City of Nice in particular, they created the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen (currently a conference center) situated on the Promenade des Anglais whose first Administrator was the French poet, Paul Valéry. Following that, the Institut d'Etudes Juridiques was established In 1938, the Institut d'Etudes Littéraires in 1941, and the Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques in 1945. La Faculté de Droit et des Sciences Economiques (The College of Law and Economics) was created by decree on August 2, 1962 and was connected to the Université d'Aix Marseille.

The university has four main campuses: the Valrose campus (Sciences), the Trotabas campus (Law), the Saint Jean d'Angély campus (Economics and Management), and the Carlone campus (Letters, Arts and Humanities). However, the university operates on several secondary locations like Sophia Antipolis or Villefranche sur Mer outside Nice.