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The University of Padua was established in 1222. The story of its establishment is as follows: the majority of professors and students quitted the   University of Bologna in order to get more academic freedom. Jurisprudence and theology were the subjects to be taught from the first day of its foundation. In 1939, the university was divided in two universities; the first one was that to provide the education in Civil Law, Canon Law, Theology; the second one was that to provide the education in fields of dialectic, astronomy, grammar, philosophy, rhetoric, and medicine. The universities were reunited only in 1813.

There were two student bodies, cismontanes – for the Italians, and ultramontans, for all the other nations. Thanks to Republic of Venice, the University of Padua received a little piece of independence form the Roman Catholic Church. The history of the University of Bologna is not considered to be stable, as within the years of 1237-61, 1509-17, 1848-50 the education was not maintained in the university.

The first women, which received the degree within the walls of the University of Padua was Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, it happened in 1678.

If to speak about the present situation in the University, one can mention that it is considered to be one of the most popular and prestigious places to receive the higher education.