History of the University of Bergen
The University of Bergen was founded in 1946 and is today an internationally recognised research university with around 21,000 students and 4,400 employees. With roots dating back to 1825, the university has a rich history marked by academic curiosity and societal engagement.
The foundation is laid
In a European context, the University of Bergen is a young university. But the academic roots run deeper. Scientific activity and teaching had long taken place at Bergen Museum, established as early as 1825.
Christie and Danielssen laid the foundation
President of the Storting Wilhelm Koren Christie was one of the founders of Bergen Museum in 1825, and today stands on his pedestal at Muséplass, gazing down towards the city centre. Christie was highly respected and instrumental in generating generosity and goodwill for the new museum. The large museum buildings as they stand today were erected during the 1860s. Another key figure in the establishment of Bergen Museum was D.C. Danielssen, who worked hard to secure funding for the museum.
Already at this time, some suggested that the museum should work towards "... the establishment of a scientific college for Western Norway in Bergen". The idea of a university was planted.
By the early 1940s, solid research communities had developed at and in connection with Bergen Museum. In addition to research, the museum now offered higher education in various fields, albeit with examinations held in Oslo.
Throughout this period, the people of Bergen raised considerable private funds to demonstrate the will and ability to establish a university.
The sea and the weather shape the research profile
It was natural that fields related to the sea and weather in particular gained a strong foothold in the city's academic community. The Bergen Seismological Observatory and the Weather Service for Western Norway had become familiar to most Norwegians. Marine research, oceanography, biology, geology and meteorology were fields with considerable strength in Bergen.
Start-up and establishment (1946–1960)
On 9 April 1946, the Storting votes to establish the University of Bergen. Several important milestones follow that same year: the University Act enters into force on 30 August, the foundation stone is laid for the first buildings on 25 October, and the Storting grants the first funding on 30 October.
One of the foremost political arguments was that the new university should serve the needs of Western Norway. The University of Bergen was to be a modern university that would serve the surrounding society – an alternative to the traditional university model focused on lengthy professional degree programmes.
In 1948, the opening of the academic year marks the formal opening of the University of Bergen. The new university built its activities on three faculties: the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and the Faculty of Humanities.
Growth and democratisation (1960–1980)
At the beginning of the 1960s, the Kleppe Committee was to assess the dimensioning of UiB. The university was to be developed to receive and educate around 3,000 students. Together with the zoning plans for Nygårdshøyden, this set important guidelines for the university's further development.
During the 1960s and 1970s, university education truly became available to a larger portion of Norwegian youth.
The student uprising of 1968
In 1968, students seized power for four days. This was the first student uprising in Norway and led to comprehensive democratisation processes at the university. Students gained representation in the university's governing bodies – an arrangement that still characterises UiB today.
New disciplines for new societal needs
Plans to establish social science disciplines emerged in the 1960s. One of the key arguments was that academic activity and study programmes should develop in close relation to developments in society. The development of new study programmes takes greater account than before of society's needs, such as the establishment of higher fisheries education in 1972. In addition, the volume of externally funded commissioned research increases and becomes better organised.
Large increase in students
At the University of Bergen, the number of students increased from just over 1,000 in 1960 to nearly 8,000 in 1975. Most of the graduates found employment in the public sector. The universities themselves also became an important recipient of academic labour.
UiB's eight faculties
In addition to the four original faculties established in 1946, four new faculties were created during the period 1963–1980. Later, the Faculty of Dentistry was merged with the Faculty of Medicine (2008), and the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design became part of the university (2017).
Faculty of Humanities
Founded as the Faculty of History and Philosophy in 1946, this is one of the three original faculties. It encompasses languages, culture, history, philosophy and aesthetic disciplines. The Bergen Music Conservatory became part of the faculty in 1982 (later the Grieg Academy), before becoming part of the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design in 2017.
Faculty of Social Sciences
Established in 1970, with roots in the Institute of Sociology from 1966. Professor Stein Rokkan, one of the world's leading political sociologists, was central to its development and founded the field of comparative politics. Today the faculty has seven departments spanning economics, political science, media studies and social anthropology.
Faculty of Law
Established in 1980. Since 1969, teaching in law had been offered at the University of Bergen, first under the Faculty of Humanities, then under the Faculty of Social Sciences. From 1979, the department was granted the right to hold its own professional degree examinations.
Faculty of Science and Technology
Originally called the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, this was one of the three original faculties from 1946, with roots in Bergen Museum's natural science activities. It encompasses biology, physics, chemistry, geosciences, informatics and mathematics. It houses the Geophysical Institute, where the Bergen School of Meteorology laid the foundation for modern weather forecasting.
Faculty of Medicine
One of the three original faculties from 1946. Merged with the Faculty of Dentistry in 2008. It builds on Bergen's long tradition in medical research, including Armauer Hansen's groundbreaking leprosy research in the 19th century.
Faculty of Psychology
It started as a department in 1964 and became a separate faculty in 1980, together with the Faculty of Law. At its establishment, it was the only faculty of psychology in Scandinavia, and it remains the only one at a Norwegian university.
Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design
UiB's newest faculty, established 1 January 2017 when the university took over the Bergen Academy of Art and Design (KHiB). KHiB was merged with the Grieg Academy, which until then had been part of the Faculty of Humanities at UiB. It brings together art, design and music in one interdisciplinary environment.
University Museum
The University Museum of Bergen celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2025. Since 1825, collections have been built, knowledge developed and public education provided. Today, the University Museum is an international research institution with large scientific collections in cultural and natural history, events, lectures, debate series and several new digital services.
The Modern University (1980–2000)
The Second Student Wave
The next major student wave came in the 1990s. From 1987 to 1995, student numbers more than doubled, from 8,700 to 17,800 students. In relation to the labour market, one of the major challenges facing the University of Bergen at the time was ensuring that university graduates and academic expertise are increasingly utilised in the private sector.
International Recognition and New Campus
In 1990, UiB was awarded the Bertelsmann Prize for outstanding university leadership in competition with 60 other universities in Europe. Throughout the 1990s, the campus was transformed with new buildings: Lauritz Meltzers hus for social sciences (1993), the law building at Dragefjellet (1995), and planning of the BBB building for biological sciences.
UiB's 50th anniversary in 1996 coincided with Professor Knut Fægri's 50 years as professor – the only one who had taught since 1946. In 1999, he was named millennium botanist with the "Millennium Botany Award". That same year, Kirsti Koch Christensen became UiB's first female rector.
The International University (2000–2020)
From Regional to Global
Over the past two decades, the University of Bergen has developed into a global research university with 21,000 students from around the world and 4,400 employees. With seven faculties and over 50 research centres, UiB is today among Europe's leading universities.
New Faculty Structure
In 2008, medicine and dentistry merged. The most significant structural change came in 2017 with the establishment of the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design – a merger of the Grieg Academy, the Art Academy in Bergen and Bergen Academy of Art and Design (KHiB). This new faculty represents a unique interdisciplinary commitment to artistic development and research.
Towards the 200th Anniversary
In 2015, the new university aula opened, and in 2019 the University Museum reopened after extensive renovation. In 2025, Bergen Museum and UiB mark 200 years of science – a milestone that underscores the continuity from museum to modern research university.
UiB Today
Campus and Cultural Heritage
UiB's campus spans from fjord to mountain: From the historic museum buildings at Muséplassen via the university's heart at Nygårdshøyden, to the high-technology centre at Marineholmen, the arts campus at Møllendalsveien, Alrek Health Cluster at Årstadveien and Media City Bergen at Lars Hilles gate.
The University Museum, as the direct continuation of Bergen Museum, safeguards a unique cultural heritage with over 3 million natural history objects, 200,000 cultural history artefacts, the world's largest collection of runic inscriptions and the world-leading Wittgenstein Archives.
Four Strategic Priority Areas
UiB's research is concentrated in four main areas where the university has particular strengths: Ocean, where UiB continues to develop Norway's leading marine research community; climate and energy transition with interdisciplinary research on climate challenges; global societal challenges such as poverty, health and inequality; and digitalisation and new technology in research and society.
The University Vision Realised
From its modest beginnings at Bergen Museum in 1825, the University of Bergen has grown into a full-fledged research university with international recognition.
With its seven faculties and over 18,000 students, UiB continues the tradition that began nearly 200 years ago – to be a knowledge institution rooted in Bergen, with its gaze directed towards the world. The university's particular strength in marine research, climate and energy transition builds on its natural science heritage, while new disciplines and interdisciplinary initiatives address the challenges of the future.
Today, UiB stands as a modern research university where past meets future – where Wilhelm Koren Christie's vision of a university for Western Norway has become reality and continues to shape society.
