History

The long road to becoming a university

The roots of the University of Lucerne can be traced back to a theological school dating from the confessional era. As such, the university shares the same historical background as the universities of Geneva, Lausanne, Berne and Zurich. Expansion and reconfiguration only truly began in Switzerland in the 20th century: in 1938 the "Höhere Lehranstalt" institute of learning became the Faculty of Theology, which received the right to award academic degrees in 1970.  In 1978 a university project centred around five faculties failed to make it past a referendum. Another two decades passed before a renewed attempt was possible: the Humanities Faculty opened in 1993 and in 2000 the people of Lucerne finally voted for the university law with an overall majority, thereby approving the establishment of the University of Lucerne. In keeping with the Federal Law on Financial Aid to Universities, the Swiss Federal Council officially recognised the University of Lucerne in 2005.