Milestones over 550 years

1460 Opening of Basel University, founded under the auspices of Basel Council and granted privileges by Pope Pius II. The university comprises the Faculties of Theology, Law, Medicine and Arts. The latter is designed to prepare students for the study at the three “senior” faculties.

1560 Inauguration of the new library (the so-called Brabeuterium) on the Rheinsprung

1622 Creation of the University Library from existing stocks of the university as well as from dissolved monasteries

1658 The first chair of history is created.

1661 The city buys the Amerbachkabinett for the University and thereby creates the conditions for the first public municipal museum.

1818 With the new University Act 1818, the University loses its privileges and becomes subjected to the state.

1835 Foundation of the Voluntary Academic Society for the support of the University

1890 Admission of women as students. Emilie Frey begins her medicine study, which she completes in 1896 with a doctorate.

1918 Founding of the Student Body as an official representative body

1919 Foundation of the Adult Education College

1928 First habilitation of a woman, Elsa Mahler is a lecturer in Slavic studies. Her successor, Hildegard Schroede, becomes the first full Ordinaria in 1964.

1937 New University Act: The Faculty of Philosophy and Science is separated from the Faculty of Philosophy, from the former Faculty of Arts

1939 The new college building is opened on the Peterplatz.

1950 The chemist Tadeus Reichstein receives the Nobel Prize

1971 Opening of the Bio Centre

1974 Legislative basis for admission restrictions (Numerus clausus)

1978 The microbiologist Werner Arber is awarded the Nobel Prize.

1979 Foundation of the Senior University

1988 The Regency sets up a "Women at the University" commission: Targets for minimum quotas are subsequently formulated.

1989 Founder Member of the Upper Rhine University Association EUCOR

1994 Contract between Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft regarding the involvement of the rural canton in Basel University (University Treaty)

1996 Autonomy of the University: it is removed from the responsibility of Basel City’s administration and is made autonomous. Foundation of the Faculty of Business and Economics

1997 Founding of the Faculty of Economics

2000 The "Bologna" degree system adopted within the context of the EU in 1999 is implemented step by step. The University of Basel was the first full university in Switzerland to implement the reform on WS 2006/07. Opening of the Pharmaceutical Centre

2003 Foundation of the Faculty of Psychology. Since then, the University of Basel has been divided into seven faculties: The Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Business & Economics and the Faculty of Psychology.

2004 Foundation of the Children’s University

2007 The voters of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft approve the contract with a large majority: Basel-Land becomes a co-sponsor of Basel University, which thus becomes the first university to be supported by a partnership between two cantons.

2010 The University begins the 550-year celebration with an all-year-round programme.