The University of Banja Luka, founded on November 7, 1975 and comprising of 17 faculties today, is the leading higher education institution in the Republic of Srpska and the second largest one in the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since 2007, the University has been integrated, with the faculties functioning as organizational units.

It is managed by the Steering Board, Senate and Rector, who is assisted by the Vice-Rector for education and students’ affairs, Vice-Rector for scientific research and development, Vice-Rector for international and inter-university cooperation, and Vice-Rector for staff and material resources.

At the moment, there are 811 fully employed professors and teaching assistants, 342 professors working part-time, and 175 visiting professors, the administration of the University totaling 559 employees.

So far, the University has produced 31,500 graduates, 700 hundred specialists, 1,150 MA/MSc and 600 PhD degree holders respectively, with 20,000 students currently enrolled at its study programmes.

Most faculties are situated in two separate campus sites near the banks of the River Vrbas, in the vicinity of downtown area. Each campus site is equipped with dormitories with accompanying canteens, sports courts, students’ clubs and University Computer Centre.

The University of Banja Luka disposes of all necessary facilities, from classrooms and amphitheatres, over reading rooms and libraries, to laboratories and computer rooms. The total classroom area is 16,000 m2, while the laboratories take up 10,000 m2. In most classrooms there are computers and over-head projectors, allowing for use of digital contents in class. As far as the computer rooms, there are 20 of them, all providing a 24-hour access to the Internet. In addition, the libraries provide their users with 185,000 titles and are subscribed to 75 journals.

University of Banja Luka is a member of the European University Association – EUA and is a signatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum. The University is a member of the International University Network for Academic and Research Cooperation, under the patronage of the La Sapienza University Science Park, Rome, Italy, the General Assembly of Interuniversity Centre for Research and Cooperation with Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CIRCEOS), with headquarters at the University of Bari, Italy, UniAdrion universities network with headquarters in Ancona, Italy, EMUNI foundation with headquarters in Slovenia and the Agency for Francophone Universities (AUF).

Dzemal Bijedic University of Mostar was founded in 1977 as one of the pillars of the development of the Herzegovina region. The University has 8 faculties today, around 5.000 students enrolled in total of 26 study programmes at first cycle, 20 study programmes of the second cycle and 3 doctoral study programmes. More than 200 professors and associates participate in the teaching process. Study programs are organized according to the Bologna principles. Additional University capacities include Institute of engineering, Institute for design and testing of materials and construction, Educational center, the International Centre for Philosophy, Institute for economic development, Institute of Biology and Chemistry, University Library, Multimedia Centre, International Relations Office, Quality Assurance Office, Centre for biotechnology and Centre for Career Development.

University mission is to organize a wide range of educational processes of different contents and levels, to perform theoretical, applied and emerging scientific research, to become one of the leaders in the education of young experts necessary for the development of economy and society, as well as to promote cultural and social development of our region and country.

The vision is to create relatively small and flexible university recognizable in the region of Mediterranean and further, with internationally recognized multidisciplinary educational programs based on the latest teaching methods according the needs of local, regional, and international labor market; to participate in the shaping of future and emerging knowledge and technologies; and to introduce international standards into education in order to become a generator of the society development.

As a part of the efforts to fulfil its mission and achieve the vision, University has good cooperation with national and international higher education and research institutions, as well as local entrepreneurship. Apart from close cooperation with seven other public Universities of B&H, and membership in B&H Rector Conference, Dzemal Bijedic University of Mostar has signed bilateral and multilateral Cooperation Agreements with Universities in Spain, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Finland, Austria, Macedonia, Egypt, Norway, Albania, Greece and Poland. Together with its partners, and utilizing the teachers and students potential, the University is implementing a number of projects, funded from different programs and aiming a wide scope of goals, from purely scientific to almost completely socially oriented. The most numerous projects that University implemented after the war are Tempus projects, closely followed by DAAD and WUS-Austria supported projects, than IPA, Horizon, Erasmus+ and of lately Mevlana supported staff and cooperation development. It is our firm determination to continue and strengthen our own potential in applications for Horizon 2020 and other available sources.

Student Union of Dzemal Bijedic University of Mostar is an independent nongovernmental student organization, aiming to support students in their activities and to protect their rights. It is a member of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Student Association, as well as of the European Student Organization. Students of three technical faculties are additionally organized in a branch of the BEST organization, as the only participating university branch from B&H. As active members, they organize competitions and summer schools in effort to provide additional value to traditional education.

Mission

The University of Mostar has its mission based on the tasks defined by the Law and the Statute of the University of Mostar and the Law on Higher Education. The university organizes and conducts university studies, scientific and highly professional work and develops artistic and technological creativity. In addition to conducting undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education based on scientific, artistic and developmental research, the task of the University and the transfer of knowledge to the economy and society in general.
The University makes strategic decisions to encourage the development of science, curriculum, professional work and development plans towards external partners in scientific activities and higher education. The University provides and implements mechanisms for student and teacher mobility, the rational use of human and material resources, with constant monitoring of the quality, competitiveness and international competitiveness of scientific, teaching, artistic and professional work.

Its mission The University of Mostar is based on three basic features:
education – based on excellence that is focused on students in undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate studies through a teaching and research process, preparing them for highly professional, self-motivated and productive professionals in their existing and future activities.
scientific research – based on excellence and integrated in the educational process at all levels to train new generations of researchers capable of working in an international research area.
community development – thanks to educational, artistic and scientific research The University is the main driver of overall economic, cultural and social development both in the region in which it operates, as well as at the national and international level; Through its activities, the University promotes the preservation and promotion of the historical and cultural heritage of the community from which it originates at the regional, national and international levels.

Vision

The University of Mostar will be developed in a modern higher education institution involved in European higher education and research space, and will, thanks to strong links between the scientific and educational process, implement quality and effective education based on learning outcomes and the concept of lifelong learning.
The university education process should be recognizable by excellence at the local, national and international levels
Scientific and research work at the University will be based on scientific excellence defined by international indicators and stronger integration with the educational process at all levels, and especially in postgraduate studies.
Thanks to new ideas and technological solutions, critical thinking and creativity, the University will become one of the key drivers of the economy and sustainable development while promoting and working to preserve the cultural and historical heritage of the social community from which it emerged

Sarajevo was first placed on the map of academic centres in this part of Europe in 1573, with the signing of the Waqfname (Book of Endowment) by Gazi Husrev-bey. Today, Gazi Husrev-bey’s Library is, as an associate member, the oldest institution within the University of Sarajevo. Following the departure of the Ottoman administration and the arrival of Austria-Hungary, the Sharia Judicial Academy was founded in 1887, the National Museum in 1888, the Catholic Seminary of the Vrhbosna Archbishopric in 1890. The Eastern Orthodox Seminary of Sarajevo was upgraded to an institution of higher learning in 1892. Today, the National Museum is an associate member of the University of Sarajevo, and the Faculty of Catholic Theology is a full member.

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry was founded in 1940, and the Faculty of Medicine in 1944.

The Teacher Training College and the Institute of Biology were established in Sarajevo after the end of World War II, in the then Federative People’s Republic of Yugoslavia. Following the Faculties of Medicine, Law and Agriculture and Forestry and the subsequent establishment of the Technical Faculty, in 1949 the Assembly of the People’s Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Law on the University, which formally established the University of Sarajevo. The Faculty of Philosophy (with a science department) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine became its members in 1950. Decades that followed saw a period of intense growth.

Until 1975, the University of Sarajevo was the only university in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the beacon of development of higher education and science in the country. It also contributed significantly to the establishment of the University of Banja Luka in 1975, the University of Tuzla in 1976, and the University of Mostar in 1977.

The international recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina brought a new period and the University entered it as an association of 19 faculties, 4 academies and four schools of higher learning in Sarajevo and 2 faculties in Zenica.

During the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the siege of Sarajevo (5 April 1992 – 29 February 1996), the University suffered enormous casualties and material losses – staff suffered and was displaced, faculty members left, buildings and equipment were destroyed or badly damaged. The University continued to work and fought to preserve civilised standards in the most difficult conditions encountered by any higher education in Europe in the second half of the 20th century. The international academic community noted these efforts with admiration.

In 1996, along with other universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the University of Sarajevo joined the European higher education reform support programmes. This period was also marked by intense work on repairing the wartime damages and creating an environment suited for stable and continuous development. The University of Sarajevo invested all its efforts to re-enter fully the contemporary European and international academic trends.

During the period 1997–2000, the University of Sarajevo coordinated the first European-level TEMPUS project aimed at introducing the 3+2 model.

Understanding the importance of establishing itself within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), in the academic year 2005/2006, notwithstanding the lack of any state-level guidance and the absence of any political, legal or material support, the University of Sarajevo entered the complex process of reform in compliance with the Bologna principles.

The University has developed or participated in several international third-cycle programmes of study based on the EHEA-ERA standards.

In terms of organisation, the University o Sarajevo today is a large and complex public institution, comprising 30 organisational units: 22 faculties, 3 academies, and 5 research institutes, in six areas of academic work: social science, humanities, medicine, technical studies, science, bio-technology and art. Associate members of the University include the National and University Library of BiH, Gazi Husrev-bey’s Library and the National Museum, as well as other units.

In May 2013, pursuant to the Framework Law on Higher Education in BiH and the Law on Higher Education in the Sarajevo Canton, the Senate of the University of Sarajevo adopted a new Statute and thus took a bold step forward, moving from a loose association of faculties towards a university organised in a way shaped by relevant European traditions.

At the moment, most of the facilities of full and associate members of the University are dispersed across the city of Sarajevo. The University Campus, located at the former Tito Barracks, currently houses a group of five faculties and two institutes, as well as additional student-focuses facilities. Zoning permits and designs have been prepared for part of the buildings included in the first part of the Campus Master Plan. The Master Plan was awarded the 2004 Campus Planning Award in Boston, USA.

The University is a public higher education institution authorized to provide high-level services
education and services in the field of scientific and research and artistic work in accordance with the Constitution,
by law and this Statute, with the aim of:
a) to gain a leading role in the field of advancing knowledge and scientific thought;
b) to achieve a leading position in the scientific, educational, artistic, cultural, social and
economic development;
c) Establish, continuously maintain and critically examine the highest standards in teaching,
continuous learning and application of acquired knowledge; 2
d) transmits and develops culture and well-founded scientific and artistic knowledge and values ​​through
unified scientific-teaching, scientific-research and artistic work, and
e) it achieves optimum cooperation with universities and other higher education, scientific research
and other entities in the country and abroad, in order to exchange experiences,
cooperation in education, science, arts and other related fields, as well
equalizing / maximizing the standards of higher education.
(2) The objectives of the previous paragraph, as general and primary, are harmonized and applied with the objectives
and the principles contained in the legal and other regulations at the levels of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: BiH),
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: F BiH) and Tuzla Canton (hereinafter: TK), and those
defined in the Strategy for the Development of Higher Education of the TK, with full autonomy, realization
academic freedom, that is, the inviolability of academic space, and the full realization of the right to
higher education, without any legal groundless influence of the public authorities and any of them
other entities from the country and abroad.
(3) The other basic tasks and objectives of the University are:
a) the organization and conduct of university studies through teaching and scientific research,
offering academic degrees to all three study cycles;
b) engaging in scientific, scientific, research and professional work for improvement
knowledge, scientific thought and education, with the aim of strengthening the development and capabilities of individuals and society
in general as a strategic interest of BiH;
c) transferring knowledge and skills to students, improving knowledge with the goal of giving
contributions to the artistic, cultural, social and economic development of BiH;
d) providing citizens with the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of higher education throughout their lives, i
e) directing university activities, among other things, through the promotion of a democratic one
civil society, human rights and fundamental freedoms.