Jagiellonian University is the country’s oldest higher education institution and, at 652 years, is also one of the oldest in Europe, having survived a number of invasions and two world wars. Today, the university is made up of 15 faculties. It has 4,000 academics and more than 40,000 students, 65 per cent of whom are women.
"Some of the Jagiellonian University students and academics have been major historical figures, including world famous scholars, such as Nicolaus Copernicus or Karol Olszewski, as well as Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II. The university’s prestige in both Poland and abroad is illustrated by its widely recognised research achievements. The most unique large-scale projects run by the Jagiellonian University include the Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics, Małopolska Centre for Biotechnology, Molecular Biotechnology for Health, OMICRON, and Synchrotron Radiation Centre ""Solaris""."