A. 1579-1872 – Preliminaries
1579, December 20th – the inauguration of the first Jesuit (Catholic) schools in Cluj-Mănăştur.
1581, May 12th – Ştefan Báthory, the prince of Transylvania and king of Poland, issued in Vilna (Vilnius, now in Lithuania) the diploma founding the Jesuit college in Cluj, which was ranked as academy. The college received buildings and land within the medieval city walls, specifically on Platea Luporum (the present Mihail Kogălniceanu Street). The first rector of the College was the Polish Jesuit priest Jacobus Wujek (Vangrovitius). In 1585, there were 230 students studying here, divided into six classes. The language of instruction and learning was Latin.
1774 - 1775 – The Jesuit college passed under the administration of another Catholic order, the Piarist, and the new superior school received, for a short period, the Universitas title. Its structure encompassed departments of Philosophy, Law, Medicine and Theology. After 1778, Theology was transferred from Cluj to Alba-Iulia.
1800 - 1872 – There were three major educational institutions in Cluj: the Piarist High School, the Reformed College, and the Unitarian Gymnasium. Many of the future professors of the University of Cluj, among which the polyhistor Sámuel Brassai stands out, taught at the Unitarian College.
B. 1872-1919 – Hungarian Higher Education in Cluj ("Franz Iosif " University)
1872, September - October – according to law no. XIX, passed by the Hungarian Parliament on 17 September and sanctioned by the emperor Franz Iosif on October 12th, the University of Cluj was founded (with Hungarian as the language of instruction). Four distinct faculties were created: Faculty of Law and State, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and History, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The faculties were equal to each other and enjoyed internal autonomy. The first rector was professor Áron Berde of the Faculty of Law, specialist in economics and finance. Besides the four faculties, a Pedagogical Institute meant to train secondary school teachers was founded.
1872, November 10th -11th – The university authorities were invested and the courses started. 258 students enrolled at the University of Cluj in the first semester.
1881, January 4th – The emperor Franz Iosif issued the official document founding of the University of Cluj and accepted that this institution bear his name.
1893 - 1902 –With an area of 4,226 square metres, the central building of the University of Cluj was built by Károly Reményik according to architect Károly Meixner's plans.
1906 - 1909 – The Central University Library building in Cluj was built. (The library had been active since 1872, when it was established together with the University).
1872 - 1919 – Over 40,000 students attended the courses of the University of Cluj, of which 2635 were Romanian. Among the Romanian personalities who have been present at the Franz Iosif University of Cluj, we should mention: Iuliu Maniu (Law), Iuliu Haţieganu (Medicine), George Coşbuc (Philosophy), Vasile Meruţiu (Natural Sciences) and others.
C. 1919-1945 – Romanian University of Cluj ("King Ferdinand I" University)
1919, September 12th – according to the Royal Decree no. 4090, signed by King Ferdinand I of Romania, it was decided that "On 1 October 1919, the Hungarian University of Cluj turn into a Romanian University." The new institution was composed of four faculties: Law, Medicine, Sciences, Letters and Philosophy. In the first semester the university had 1871 students and in the second half - 2182 students.
1919 - 1940 – Among the top professors of the University of Cluj we should name the scientists Emil Racoviţă (director of the Institute of Speleology), Alexandru Borza (director of the Botanical Garden), Petre Sergescu (mathematician and science historian), Ioan Lupaş and Silviu Dragomir (historians), Florian Ştefănescu-Goangă (psychologist), George Spacu (chemist), Lucian Blaga (philosopher and writer), Victor Papilian (medicine).
1927 – The University of Cluj officially adopted the name of King Ferdinand I. Between 1927 and 1948, the University of Cluj was called "King Ferdinand I University."
1937, June –The building of the Academic College in Cluj was inaugurated in the presence of King Carol II of Romania
1940, August-September – Following the Vienna Arbitration, the Romanian University of Cluj took refuge in Timișoara (Faculty of Sciences) and Sibiu (Faculty of Letters, Law and Medicine)
1940 - 1945 – During the Second World War, "King Ferdinand I" University operated without interruption in Sibiu and Timișoara. In Cluj, the Hungarian authorities reopened the "Franz Iosif" University, with Hungarian as the language of instruction.
1945, May-June – "King Ferdinand I" University returned to Cluj, taking over the reins.
D. Parallel Universities
1945, May 28th – by the Royal Decree No. 407, “on 1st of June 1945, a state university is establishd in Cluj, having Hungarian as language of instruction, comprising the following faculties: Letters and Philosophy; Law and Political Economics; Sciences; Human Medicine.” The new institution bore the name of “Bolyai” University.
1945-1959 – The Romanian University of Cluj underwent a profound process of institutional and human resource transformation, as a consequence of the policies adopted by the communists. Many professors were purged and new faculties and departments were set up by reorganising the old ones.
1948, January -"King Ferdinand I" University changed its name into "Victor Babeş" University.
E. "Babeş-Bolyai" University
1959, March-July – The unification of the Romanian University of Cluj and the Hungarian University took place. The new institution was called "Babeș-Bolyai" and at the time of its creation, it had six faculties: Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Geography, Faculty of Philology, Faculty of Law, Faculty of History and Philosophy. The first rector of the "Babeș-Bolyai" University was professor Constantin Daicoviciu (archaeologist)..
1995 – "Babeș-Bolyai" University rethought its structure by introducing an educational system based on multiculturalism. The three major lines of study, based on linguistic criteria, were created: the Romanian line of study, the Hungarian line of study, the German line of study.
2011 – 2012 - -"Babeș-Bolyai" University is considered to be an "advanced research and education university" by the Ministry of Education in Romania
