The University of Girona is heir to the so-called Estudi General which was created in 1446 by Alphonse the Magnanimous, who granted Girona the privilege of awarding degrees in grammar, rhetoric, philosophy and theology, law and medicine. This academic initiative was entrusted to the municipal and Church syndics, but classes did not officially begin until 1572, in the building known today as Les Àligues, built to serve as the seat of the university. University studies expanded in scope and prestige until 1717, at which time the university was closed due to the Nova Planta Decree and the loss of Catalonia’s political identity.

During the 19th century, as a result of the Liberal Revolution, the city government promoted the creation of the Universitat Lliure de Girona (Free University of Girona), which offered studies in Law and Pharmacy until 1874.

The recent history of the University of Girona is that of the Escola Normal de Mestres (Teaching College) and, in a special way, the initiatives carried out in the 1960s to re-establish university studies in Girona. The University College of Girona and the Polytechnic School, which depended respectively on the UAB and the UPC, were created. Subsequently, the Estudi General was restored to offer courses in the Humanities, in Business Studies, in the Sciences and in the Social Sciences. Finally, in 1991, a decree of the Catalan Government created the new University of Girona, a multidisciplinary reference point thanks to contributions from a rich variety of university cultures.