The University of Girona is the inheritor of the so-called Estudi General. This teaching initiative was created in 1446 by King Alfons el Magnànim, who granted Girona the privilege of awarding titles in grammar, rhetoric, philosophy and theology, law and medicine. The municipal syndics and the Church were responsible for the teaching but the classes did not start officially until 1572, in what is now known as the Les Àligues building, which was purpose-built as the seat of the university,

The university studies spread with an excellent reputation until 1717. Then the University was closed because of the Nova Planta Decree and the loss of Catalonia’s political identity.

Throughout the 19th century, and as a result of the liberal revolution, the City Council promoted the so-called “Free University of Girona", which offered studies in Law and pharmacy until 1874.

The recent history of the University of Girona is linked to the Escola Normal de Mestres (1914), a teacher training college, and especially to the initiatives carried out in the 1960s to re-establish university studies in Girona.

In 1972 and 1973, the University School of Girona and theSchool of Engineering (precursor of the current Polytechnic School) were created. They are attached, respectively, to the UAB and the UPC. The Estudi General was subsequently restored, offering studies in business, the humanities, science and social sciences.

Finally, in 1991, the Catalan Parliament approved the Act creating the new University of Girona, with contributions from the different university cultures that have turned Girona into a multidisciplinary benchmark.