Kraków has been known as a leading academic centre in Poland since 14th century. Although there is a great number of respectable universities in our country, it is Kraków that immediately evokes images of student comradery and professors strolling through the streets of Old Town. This centuries-long academic tradition goes hand in hand with modern approach to education and state-of-the-art technology. For instance, Ruczaj, one of the districts located on the outskirts of Kraków, is rapidly transforming into a thriving centre of student activity thanks to the 3rd Campus of the Jagiellonian University. The fact that most higher education institutions in the city are sited near one another allows for a very close cooperation—not only scientific, but also related to culture and leisure.

The Jagiellonian University is the oldest higher education institution in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe. It was founded on 12 May 1364 by the Polish king Casimir the Great. The Jubilee year 2014 marked the 650th anniversary of this remarkable event. Since its very beginning, the Jagiellonian University has been an international institution. Poles, Ruthenians, Lithuanians, Hungarians, Germans, Czechs, the Swiss, the English, the Dutch, the French, the Spanish, Italians, and even Tatars studied here in the old days.