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Universitat Rovira i Virgili | |
 | |
| Motto | Sapientiae Liberi Libertati Sapientes (for wisdom free, for freedom wise) |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1991 |
| Rector | Josep Pallarès Marzal |
Administrative staff | ~766 (2023) |
| Students | ~16,155 (2023-24) |
Other students | 1,284 full-time teaching and reseach staff members (2023) |
| Location | Tarragona, Reus, Vila-seca, Tortosa and El Vendrell, Vilafranca del PenedèsCatalonia , |
| Campus | 6 |
| Affiliations | Vives Network /Aurora, European University Alliance |
| Website | www |
University of Rovira i Virgili (Catalan:Universitat Rovira i Virgili;IPA:[uniβəɾsiˈtadruˈβiɾəjβiɾˈʒili]) is located in theCatalan cities ofTarragona,Reus, Tortosa Vila-seca, el Vendrell and Vilafranca del Penedès (Spain). Its name is in honor ofAntoni Rovira i Virgili.
The Universitat Rovira i Virgili is the university that provides southern Catalonia with a knowledge structure of international renown. Through teaching, research, knowledge transfer and culture it helps society to be more just and free.
It was created in 1991 by the Parliament of Catalonia from the existing university faculties and schools and it was named after Antoni Rovira i Virgili, a writer, historian and politician from Tarragona who was president of the Parliament of Catalonia in exile. The 16th-century University of Tarragona was thus given new life. From day one, it has aimed to put knowledge at the service of society in order to contribute to the social and economic development of the region, which has constantly been changing over time.
The URV has twelve faculties and schools throughout the region, as well as affiliated centres, all of which are equipped with modern teaching and research facilities. The courses on offer cover all areas of knowledge. There are nearly 60 undergraduate programmes and 60 master's degrees (many of which are inter-university), an extensive doctoral programme and a wide variety of lifelong learning courses so that professionals can constantly update their knowledge and improve their skills.
Every year, 16,000 students are trained in all areas of knowledge, so that they can respond to the demands of society and the needs of the environment. At the URV, the class groups are small, and students have a close relationship with the teaching staff, can do internships in companies and do degrees that combine an academic education with professional training.
Bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctoral programmes (2023-24).
full-time teaching and research staff members (2023)
58 bachelor’s degrees
58 university master’s degrees
26 doctoral degrees
22 URV-specific postgraduate degrees
54% with international collaboration
Indexed in Web of Science / Scopus (2023)
The University has an international vocation and is a member of several networks with which it shares the vision of influencing social change through academic excellence and research.
Likewise, it is an institution that is academically and socially committed to human rights, to institutions and the rights and democratic ideals of citizens and the region, and, in particular, to the defence of the Catalan language and culture.
University education in the Tarragona area goes back to the 16th century when CardinalGaspar Cervantes de Gaeta[1] founded a university to teach Grammar, the Arts, and Theology. This Universitas Tarraconensis was practically wiped out by the reprisals ofPhilip V after theWar of Succession.University education did not return to theTarragona area until the second half of the 20th century when three different paths converged to form the Universitat Rovira i Virgili: The Universitat Laboral (Technical College), created by the Ministry of Employment in 1956, started to teach technical courses for the first time in 1961–62 with specialties in mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering. It depended on the Terrassa School of Engineering. Later, in 1972, the title of "Engineer" was changed to "Technical Engineer", and the Universitat Laboral ceased to depend on Terrassa and dropped its mechanical and engineering courses.
In 1973, the Universitat Laboral, now known as the University School of Industrial Engineering became part of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In 1971, the Universitat de Barcelona set up local branches of the faculties of Philosophy and Letters, and Sciences in the city of Tarragona. From the very beginning, the aim was for these new courses to achieve the highest possible university recognition. As early as 1972, a request was made to convert these branches into a university college so that they could provide complete first-cycle courses. In 1977, medical courses began in Reus, and in 1983 the Spanish Parliament established the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts and the Faculty of Chemistry in Tarragona.
In 1991, theCatalan Parliament created the Universitat Rovira I Virgili from the university centers already existing in Reus and Tarragona and which depended on the Universitat de Barcelona. The 16th-century Tarragona University was thus recovered. Since then, the university has gradually increased the number of courses on offer by creating such new campuses as Sescelades and Catalunya in Tarragona, and Bellissens in Reus.
The first senate chose the philologist Joan Martí i Castell as its first rector. The first statutes were approved. The first Board of Trustees was chaired by Josep Maria Freixas. In 1994, the Ombuds Office was set up to defend the rights of the university community and self-regulate the institution.
The rector is the highest academic authority of the University and is its representative. He or she has all the powers that are not expressly attributed to other bodies.
Since its creation in 1991, this position has been held by the following people:
The Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology is a public research centre created in the year 2000 by the Catalan Government and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, with the participation of the Inter-university Council of Catalonia. It aims to carry out research, teach advanced courses and provide information about classical civilization and culture.
ICIQ is a public research foundation dedicated to advancing chemistry to tackle some of the most pressing global challenges, including the climate emergency, the energy transition, and human health. Since 2014, ICIQ has been awarded three Severo Ochoa Excellence Accreditations, reinforcing its position as a leading centre in sustainable catalysis, renewable energy, and molecular medicine.
The Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution is a transdisciplinary, advanced research institute that was founded in 2006. Its objectives are to carry out scientific research programmes in the earth and life sciences, promote their socialization and use the results in prospective social research of an evolutionary nature.
The Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV) promotes, conducts, manages and communicates health and biomedical research, and research training. To achieve this last objective, IISPV organizes a programme in research training and it has entered into collaboration agreements with health institutions and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili to share initiatives and resources.
The URV is a member of the IREC board, the aim of which is to contribute to the sustainable development of society and increase the competitiveness of companies through innovation and the development of new technological products. It is also involved in medium- and long-term research, and scientific development and technological knowledge in the field of energy.
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World[2] | 701–800 (2024) |
| QS World[3] | 731-740 (2025) |
| THE World[4] | 601-800 (2025) |
41°07′11″N1°15′38″E / 41.1197°N 1.2605°E /41.1197; 1.2605
