Comenius University commemorates 98 years since its establishment

Comenius University is Slovakia’s largest university and has the longest tradition of higher education in Slovakia. On 27 June 2017, it celebrates the 98th anniversary of its existence. Comenius University was established by Act No. 375 Coll. on 27 June 1919. Even at the time it began, the university was of great importance in the development of education, science, and culture in Slovakia.


27. 06. 2017 09.33 hod.
By: CU Public Relations Office

Comenius University was the first university to offer Slovak students the opportunity to study in their native language. The initiator of the idea to establish the university came from Professor Kristián Hynek, who also became the university’s first rector. The oldest faculty at the university is the Faculty of Medicine, which started operating at the same time that the university was established in 1919. The youngest of the thirteen faculties at the university is the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, which was established in 2002.

Comenius University has the profile of a research-focused university. It is firmly placed in the international environment, and in some international university rankings it has placed among the top two percent of universities in the world. It is also a significant cultural, social, and diplomatic venue. Proof of this can be seen in the recent visits by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon; the 14th Dalai Lama and Comenius University honorary doctorate holder, Tenzin Gyatso; the Austrian President, Alexander Van der Bellen; Omani Princess Mona; and the Georgian President, Giorgi Margvelashvili. The topic of new-age slavery was discussed at the university by Pulitzer Prize winner, Martha Mendoza. The world-renowned mineralogist, Professor Emil Makovický, also shared his knowledge with a gathered audience at the university upon receiving the 121st Comenius University honorary doctorate (Doctor honoris causa).

“The next chapter in the university’s story pushes us closer to the 100th anniversary, where the fundamental mission of the university – spreading education, culture, and humanism; and helping talented people use their own mental capacities and creative abilities for the development of society – will be remembered,” said Comenius University Rector, Professor Karol Mičieta.

The university is celebrating its anniversary in working mode. Among many other activities, the second half of June will see a “marathon” of graduation ceremonies, which will continue until the second half of July. Graduates will receive their degree certificates at around 100 different ceremonies (20 bachelor’s ceremonies and nearly 80 ceremonies for students at the second and combined level of studies).

 

Comenius University in Bratislava:

facts and numbers

  • Nearly 25,000 students (of whom 20,000 are in full-time studies) study at the university at all levels of studies.
  • Nearly 2100 international students from 70 countries attend the university.
  • Altogether, Comenius University offers a total of 980 study programmes at bachelor’s, master’s, PhDr., and doctoral level.
  • The university is the home institution of nineteen top-level research teams (out of a total of 37 such teams at all Slovak universities).
  • Comenius University regularly places among the best universities in the world in global university rankings as the only Slovak university to do so. The Round University Ranking (RUR) placed Comenius University in 433rd place. 
  • The publication activity of the university makes up more than 40% of the total number of research publications from all Slovak institutions of higher education in indexed international journals.
  • The university employs more than 4400 staff, making it a foremost employer in Slovakia.