The University of Niš was incorporated as an independent level-granting institution on June 15, 1965. Its establishment rounded off an important, in many ways pioneering, period in the more recent history of the town which started in 1960 when the first undergraduate programs commenced in Niš at the three newly formed faculties (Faculty of Law and Economics, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering), under the academic patronage of the University of Belgrade. In the 1960/61 school year, a total number of 3740 students enrolled in the faculties. The University started its independent life with 234 fulltime teaching staff and 10500 students. The increase of the student population, the development of new disciplines and the rising needs of the immediate and broader industrial and social environment brought about a reorganization of the existing faculties and foundation of new ones.
The University main offices are situated in one of the most representative city structures, an edi? ce built in the late 19th century, which was formally recognized as a cultural treasure of major significance in 1979.