The University of Lyon ( , or UdL) is a

university system A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

( ''ComUE'') based in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It comprises 12 members and 9 associated institutions. The 3 main constituent universities in this center are:

Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 (, UCBL) is one of the three public universities of Lyon, France. It is named after the French physiologist Claude Bernard and specialises in science and technology, medicine, and sports science. It was establis ...

, which focuses upon health and science studies and has approximately 47,000 students;

Lumière University Lyon 2 Lumière University Lyon 2 () is one of the three universities that comprise the current University of Lyon system, having splintered from an older university of the same name, and is primarily based on two campuses in Lyon itself. It has a total ...

, which focuses upon the

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

and arts, and has about 30,000 students;

Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 The Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 (), also referred to as Lyon 3, is one of the three public universities of Lyon, France. It is named after the French Resistance fighter Jean Moulin and specialises in Law, Politics, Philosophy, Management and l ...

, which focuses upon the

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

with about 20,000 students. Following

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, Lyon stands as France's third-largest university hub. Hosting 129,000 students, 11,500 educators and researchers, along with 510 private and public laboratories, it encompasses the city's three faculties (Lyon-1, Lyon-2, and Lyon-3), alongside the

Jean Monnet University Jean Monnet University ( or ) is a public research university based in Saint-Étienne, France. It is under the Academy of Lyon and belongs to the administrative entity denominated University of Lyon, which gathers different schools in Lyon and S ...

of Saint-Étienne,

École Centrale de Lyon The Centrale Lyon (), formerly (, abbr. ECL), is a research university in Grand Lyon, greater Lyon, France. Founded in 1857 by François Barthélemy Arlès-Dufour in response to the increasing industrialization of France, it is one of the oldes ...

École Normale Supérieure de Lyon École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

, and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Lyon. The

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 eng ...

, France's public institution for scientific research, is a vital member of this university network. Collaboratively, private and public higher education institutions in the Lyon region pool resources to advance and promote scientific research. Originally established between 1896 and 1968 as a centralized university amalgamating three historical faculties (sciences, arts, medicine, and law), the University of Lyon transitioned into a decentralized model under the Edgar Faure law, advocating for university autonomy. Flourishing as a prominent research hub for Egyptological studies since the late 19th century, Lyon witnessed the birth of the Institute of Egyptology in 1879. In 1975, Egyptological studies found a home in the Victor Loret Institute of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), alongside the creation of the

Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée The Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée (or MOM) is a research body in Lyon, France, that specialises in the Mediterranean and the Middle East and the first steps of humanity. It is dedicated to its founder, historian Jean Pouilloux. Staf ...

. Distinguished alumni and faculty of the University of Lyon include Nobel laureates such as

Victor Grignard Francois Auguste Victor Grignard (6 May 1871 – 13 December 1935) was a French chemist who won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the eponymously named Grignard reagent and Grignard reaction, both of which are important in the formation of ...

(Chemistry, 1912),

Alexis Carrel Alexis Carrel (; 28 June 1873 – 5 November 1944) was a French surgeon and biologist who spent most of his scientific career in the United States. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1912 for pioneering vascular suturi ...

(Medicine),

Roger Guillemin Roger Charles Louis Guillemin (; January 11, 1924 – February 21, 2024) was a French-American neuroscientist. He received the National Medal of Science in 1976, and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1977 for ...

(Medicine 1977),

Yves Chauvin Yves Chauvin (; 10 October 1930 – 27 January 2015) was a French chemist and Nobel Prize laureate. He was honorary research director at the '' Institut français du pétrole'' and a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He was known for his w ...

(Chemistry, 2005), and Jean Jouzel (co-laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, 2007). Notable figures also include

Ume Kenjirō was a legal scholar in Meiji period Japan, and a founder of Hosei University. Life and career Ume was born the second son of the domain doctor of Matsue domain, Izumo Province (present-day Shimane Prefecture)Chūgoku region, Japan. He was sen ...

, architect of the Japanese civil code and former law faculty student,

Cédric Villani Cédric Patrice Thierry Villani (; born 5 October 1973) is a French politician and mathematician working primarily on partial differential equations, Riemannian geometry and mathematical physics. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 2010, and he ...

, Fields Medal recipient and alumnus of Lyon-III, astrophysicist

Hélène Courtois Hélène (Di Nella) Courtois (; born 1970) is a French astrophysicist specialising in cosmography. She is a professor at the University of Lyon 1 and has been a chevalier of the ''Ordre des Palmes académiques'' since 2015. As the director of a ...

, pioneer of criminal anthropology

Alexandre Lacassagne Alexandre Lacassagne (August 17, 1843 – September 24, 1924) was a French physician and criminologist who was a native of Cahors. He was the founder of the Lacassagne school of criminology, based in Lyon and influential from 1885 to 1914, and th ...

, and

Louis Léopold Ollier Louis Xavier Édouard Léopold Ollier (; 2 December 1830 – 26 November 1900) was a French surgeon, known for his pioneering work in reconstructive surgery and orthopedics. Biography Ollier was born in Les Vans, department of Ardèche. His fath ...

, founding figure in modern orthopedic surgery.

History

has historically been an industrious and mercantile city, oriented towards free trade and commerce due to its geographical location: at the confluence of the

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

and

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

rivers, near

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, on the route between northern and southern Europe. Primarily a merchant city under the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, Lyon does not have a long university history: this delay is partly due to the fear that education would divert young people from commerce and industry. The first modern higher education institution in Lyon was established in 1519 under the initiative of the Brotherhood of the Trinity (''Confrérie de la Trinité''). On 21 July 1527, following its success, the institution came under the control of the Lyon municipality, which then assumed financial responsibility for it. The institution became the ''Collège Confrérie de la Trinité''. It was the first coeducational institution, notably welcoming poets

Louise Labé Louise Charlin Perrin Labé ( – 25 April 1566), also identified as La Belle Cordière ("The Fair Ropemaker") after her father's job, was a French Renaissance poet from Lyon. Biography Louise Labé was born in Lyon, into a family of ropemakers ...

and Pernette du Guillet during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. In the 16th century, this university college was an influential humanist centre. Amidst the religious wars between Catholic and Huguenots, the director of the institution, the poet

Barthélemy Aneau Barthélemy Aneau (c.1510–1561) was a French poet and humanist. He is known for his novel ''Alector, ou le coq'', and his work on emblems. He was born in Bourges but later moved to Lyon where he became regent, then principal of the Collège de ...

, was massacred in 1561, accused of sympathising with the Reformation. In 1565, Pope

Pius IV Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...

confirmed the transfer of the college’s administration to the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, a transfer later validated in 1568 by King Charles IX of France. The college expanded in the 17th century, with the works financed by Queen Anne of Austria. Besides a theatre, a library, and an observatory, the Collège de la Trinité incorporated numerous buildings not primarily intended for education, including eight congregation chapels. To construct buildings specifically for boarders, the Jesuits began acquiring properties from the 1680s onwards, with acquisitions peaking between 1712 and 1713. In 1702, an astronomical observatory was built atop the Trinity Chapel, driven by astronomer Jean de Saint-Bonnet. In 1763, following the suppression of the Jesuit order in France, the Lyon municipality ordered the institution’s takeover by the Oratorian order. Like all universities and higher education institutions of the Ancien Régime, the Collège de la Trinité was abolished by the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

on 15 September 1793 during the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

, on the grounds that they were too aristocratic and did not align with the revolutionaries' vision of public education accessible to all. In 1806,

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

established the

University of France The University of France (; originally the ''Imperial University of France'') was a highly centralized educational state organization founded by Napoleon I in 1806 and given authority not only over the individual (previously independent) universiti ...

, an institution that centralised all faculties in France. Ephemeral faculties of arts and sciences were created in Lyon during this period but were abolished during the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

in 1815. At the beginning of the 19th century, it had a total of 2,551 students, making it the largest university in the country after Paris. The modern faculties, ancestors of the University of Lyon, were established under the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (), officially the ''Kingdom of France'' (), was a liberalism, liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 9 August 1830, after the revolutionary victory of the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 26 Februar ...

: the Faculty of Sciences of Lyon opened its doors in 1833, the Faculty of Letters in 1838, the Faculty of Theology in 1839 (transformed into the Catholic Faculty in 1885), the Faculty of Law in 1875 by decree of President Mac Mahon, and the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1877. The law of 10 July 1896 formally created the University of Lyon, composed of these faculties. Each faculty maintained a high degree of autonomy despite sharing what was then known as the ''Palais des Facultés'', now the Palais Hirsch, located on the left bank of the Rhône at Quai Claude-Bernard. By 1920, Lyon had over 3,500 university students, making it the second largest university in the country after Paris, which had 17,000 students. The University of Lyon in this centralised form existed until 1968. As with all universities in France, following the events of

May 1968 The following events occurred in May 1968: May 1, 1968 (Wednesday) *In Dallas, at its first meeting since its creation through a merger, the United Methodist Church removed its rule that Methodist ministers could not drink alcohol nor sm ...

, the University of Lyon was replaced by autonomous faculties. The Edgar Faure law aimed to grant greater autonomy to faculties and break with the highly centralised vision that had governed higher education in France since 1896. The law provided a legal status of autonomy to the faculties, that of "public establishments of a scientific and cultural nature." The University of Lyon was then divided into three autonomous entities: University Lyon-I - ''Claude Bernard'' (former faculty of medicine and pharmacy, now a university of sciences), University Lyon-II - ''Lumière'' (former faculty of letters, now a university dedicated to the humanities, social sciences, and arts), and University Lyon-III - ''Jean Moulin'' (former faculty of law, now a university dedicated to law and political science). The University of Sciences Lyon-I is named

Claude Bernard Claude Bernard (; 12 July 1813 – 10 February 1878) was a French physiologist. I. Bernard Cohen of Harvard University called Bernard "one of the greatest of all men of science". He originated the term ''milieu intérieur'' and the associated c ...

in honour of this eminent physiologist and scientist; the University of Lyon-II is named Lumière in reference to the brothers

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

and

Auguste Lumière Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas Lumière (; 19 October 1862 – 10 April 1954) was a French engineer, industrialist, biologist, and illusionist. In 1894 and 1895, he and his brother Louis Lumière, Louis invented an animated photographic camera a ...

, the inventors of cinema; the University Lyon-III is named

Jean Moulin Jean Pierre Moulin (; 20 June 1899 – 8 July 1943) was a French civil servant and hero of the French Resistance who succeeded in unifying the main networks of the Resistance in World War II, a unique act in Europe. He served as the first Presid ...

in honour of the prefect and resistance leader during World War II, who unified the French Resistance and died under torture by the Gestapo in Lyon in 1943.

Structure

After Paris and Toulouse, Lyon is the third largest university city in France with 2,335 students in 1898, 36,500 students in 1973, 42,600 students in 1978, 50,000 students in 1982, and 52,000 students in 1985; in 2024, Lyon has 175,000 students, including 23,000 international students, and 11,500 researchers and faculty members. The university has a total of 510 private and public laboratories, and an average of 800 doctoral theses are defended there each year. The university comprises a total of 510 private and public laboratories, 18 doctoral schools, and an average of 800 doctoral theses are defended there each year. The doctoral schools are divided into five categories: life sciences (biological sciences, health, neurobiology, sciences and cognition, cancerology and biology), exact sciences (electronics and electrotechnics, mechanics and civil engineering, chemistry, materials, engineering, computer science and mathematics, physics and astrophysics), and humanities and social sciences (social sciences, literature, languages and linguistics, education and psychology, economics and management, philosophy and history, law). UdL, on behalf of its member institutions, oversees several major projects related to the "Investments for the Future" programme, for which it has secured nearly one billion euros in funding. As part of these major projects, 12 laboratories have been awarded the "''Laboratoire d'Excellence''" (LabEx) label, and 8 projects have received the "''Equipement d'Excellence''" (EquipEx) label from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. Additionally, 3 of its research institutes have been awarded the Carnot label, which is given to public research laboratories conducting scientific research in public-private partnerships. As part of the France 2030 programme, launched in 2021 by the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

with a total budget of €54 billion, the UdL has established a technology transfer acceleration company (''société d'Accélération du Transfert de Technologies'', SATT). This subsidiary, created by one or more institutions (universities and research organisations), aims to professionalise the valorisation of public research. The company is responsible for managing patent applications, proof-of-concept operations, startup creation, and licensing. The University of Lyon's SATT, called PULSALYS, has a budget of €57 million over 10 years to strengthen the collaboration between fundamental research and entrepreneurship.

Members

Constituent universities *

Grandes Écoles *

École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État The École nationale des travaux publics de l'État or ENTPE (English: ''National School of Public Works of the State'') is an engineering school part of the French Grandes Écoles founded in 1954 in Paris by the Ministry of Public Works and Tran ...

(ENTPE) *

INSA Lyon The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) is a non- profit, nonpartisan 501(c)(6) professional organization based in Arlington, Virginia for the public and private sector members of the United States Intelligence Community. Hist ...

* Institut d'Études Politiques de Lyon (Sciences Po Lyon) * VetAgro Sup (previously École Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon) *École Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Saint-Étienne ( ENISE) *

(CNRS)

Associated institutions

Emlyon Business School EM Lyon Business School (styled emlyon) is a business school in Lyon, France, established in 1872, and affiliated with the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A '' grande école de commerce'', EM Lyon Business School offers a range of academi ...

Université Catholique de Lyon The Catholic University of Lyon (UCLy), also known as the Lyon Catholic Institute ( French: ''Institut Catholique de Lyon''), is a French private university based in Lyon and Annecy, Southeastern France. History The Lyon Catholic University has ...

* École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Lyon * École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Saint-Etienne *

École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

* École supérieure de commerce et management (

ESDES ESDES School of Business and Management (''École supérieure pour le développement économique et social'') is located in Lyon, France. It was created in 1987, within the Catholic University of Lyon ( UCLy). ESDES is state-recognised and its ...

) * Institut Polytechnique de Lyon (

CPE Lyon CPE may refer to: Biochemistry * Carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae, a "superbug" resistant to antibiotics * Carboxypeptidase E, an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of neuropeptides and peptide hormones * Clostridium perfringens ente ...

, ECAM Lyon, ISARA Lyon, ITECH Lyon) * Ecole Nationale Superieure des Sciences de l'information et des Bibliotheques (ENSSIB)

References

External links

University of Lyon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon, University of Universities and colleges in Lyon Educational institutions established in 2007 2007 establishments in France Universities and colleges formed by merger in France