Middle Ages to the Enlightenment The university was founded on March 12, 1365, by
Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, hence the name "Alma Mater Rudolphina". After the
Charles University in
Prague (1347) and
Jagiellonian University in
Kraków (1364), the University of Vienna is the third oldest university in Central Europe and the oldest university in the contemporary German-speaking world; it remains a question of definition as the Charles University in Prague was German-speaking when founded, too. However,
Pope Urban V did not ratify the deed of foundation that had been sanctioned by Rudolf IV, specifically in relation to the department of theology. This was presumably due to pressure exerted by
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, who wished to avoid competition for the Charles University in Prague. The pope later granted an endowment to the university in 1365, while papal assent was finally received in 1384. This led to the University of Vienna and its Faculty of Catholic Theology being granted the status of a full university. The first university building opened in 1385. It grew into the biggest university of the
Holy Roman Empire, and during the advent of
Humanism in the mid-15th century was home to more than 6,000 students. In its early years, the university had a partly hierarchical, partly cooperative structure, in which the
Rector was at the top, while the students had little say and were settled at the bottom. The
Magister and
Doctors constituted the four faculties and elected the academic officials from amidst their ranks. The students, but also all other Supposita (university members), were divided into four
Academic Nations. Their elected board members, mostly graduates themselves, had the right to elect the Rector. He presided over the Consistory which included procurators of each of the nations and the faculty deans, as well as over the University Assembly, in which all university teachers participated. Complaints or appeals against decisions of the faculty by the students had to be brought forward by a Magister or Doctor. It was only in the mid-18th century that the Jesuits lost influence over the university and when Empress
Maria Theresa ensured that the university went under the control of the monarchy. The university would later focus on the education of physicians and civil servants. Her successor
Joseph II continued her reforms and further liberalized the university, abolishing official attire and allowing both Protestants and Jews to enroll by 1782, as well as introducing German as the compulsory language of instruction the year later. Ten years after the admission of the first female students,
Elise Richter became the first woman to receive
habilitation, becoming professor of
Romance languages in 1907; she was also the first female distinguished professor. In the late 1920s, the university was in steady turmoil because of anti-democratic and anti-Semitic activity by parts of the student body. Professor
Moritz Schlick was killed by a former student while ascending the steps of the university for a class. His murderer was later released by the Nazi regime. Following the
Anschluss, the annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the
Nazi regime, in 1938 the University of Vienna was reformed under political aspects, and a huge number of teachers and students were dismissed for political and "racial" reasons. In April 1945, the then 22-year-old Kurt Schubert, later acknowledged
doyen of
Judaic Studies at the University of Vienna, was permitted by the
Soviet occupation forces to open the university again for teaching, which is why he is regarded as the unofficial first rector in the post-war period. On 25 April 1945, however, the constitutional lawyer
Ludwig Adamovich senior was elected as the official rector of the University of Vienna. A large degree of participation by students and university staff was realized in 1975, however, the University Reforms of 1993 and 2002 largely re-established the professors as the main decision-makers. However, also as part of the 2002 reform, the university, after more than 250 years of being largely under governmental control, finally regained its full legal capacity. The number of faculties and centers was increased to 18, and the whole of the medical faculty was separated into the new
Medical University of Vienna.
21st century On 22 October 2009, following a solidarity rally for the occupiers of the
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the Audimax, Austria's largest lecture hall (opened in 1936), was occupied (see
Student protests in Austria in 2009). The protests were directed (among other things) against the implementation of the
Bologna Process in Austria, the reintroduction of tuition fees, restrictions on access to higher education, and precarious working conditions at universities. They demanded an increase in the higher education budget to 2% of
GDP in order to expand personnel and spatial capacities and improve university facilities, as well as education and curriculum design independent of private economic interests. In 2015, the
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra dedicated part of the programme of its New Year's Concert to the University of Vienna on the occasion of its 650th anniversary on 12 March 2015. With a view to implementing the new teacher education programme, regional development associations have been formed in Austria. The University of Vienna, together with other universities in Vienna and Lower Austria, belongs to the North-East Association. The new teacher education programme for
secondary education began in 2016. In 2020, the University of Vienna opened a new location on Kolingasse to expand its infrastructure. In October 2021, the new University of Vienna Biology Building was opened. In October 2022, Sebastian Schütze was elected Rector of the University of Vienna and took office. In October 2022, a new Rectorate took office at the University of Vienna. In October 2022, the University of Vienna congratulated
Nobel Prize winner
Anton Zeilinger for his outstanding scientific achievements. In May 2025, the University of Vienna opened a new book depository, relocating 2.7 million volumes from the Main Library in the Main Building of the University of Vienna. In the last elections for the
Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) in May 2025, the
VSStÖ student organisation achieved 37.01% (12 seats) in the university representation, GRAS achieved 20.87% (6 seats) and KSV-LiLi achieved 11.00% (3 seats). In October 2025, the University of Vienna achieved a place in the top 100 of the
global university rankings for the first time. ==Campus==