University of Girona

The Universitat de Girona (UdG) in Catalonia traces its history back to 1446 with the foundation of a school known as the Estudi General by King Alfonso V of Aragon. The current incarnation of the university was founded in 1992 after multiple efforts to bring higher education back to Girona during the latter half of the 20th Century.

The Edifici Les Àligues, the building erected in the 16th century to host Estudi General classes, is now the university’s headquarters following a renovation in 1993. It is part of the university’s campus in Girona’s old town. UdG has two further campuses in the city, with buildings in the centre and a newly built campus in the southern neighbourhood of Montilivi. There is also a technology park run by the university in La Creuta on the outskirts of Girona.

There are nine faculties at the university: sciences; economics and business; law; education and psychology; nursing; arts; tourism; medicine; and technology, engineering and architecture. Over 15,000 students are enrolled at UdG with 1,200 teaching and research staff. The university offers 14 doctoral programmes and around 800 PhD students are enrolled.

Students at UdG can apply to join the Xoriguers, the university’s castell group. Castell is a Catalonian tradition in which groups band together and clamber atop one another to build human towers. The tradition was certified by UNESCO in 2010 as among the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Girona is in the north-east of Catalonia, about 40 minutes away from Barcelona by train. It is served by Girona-Costa Brava Airport, where flights depart for a number of European destinations. The city is renowned for its food and it is home to El Celler de Can Roca, a restaurant regularly ranked among the world’s best.