University of Primorska

The University of Primorska (Slovenian: Univerza na Primorskem, Italian: Università del Litorale) is a public university in Slovenia.

The history of the University of Primorska (UP) is relatively short, but it is a history of rapid growth and development. The university was founded in 2003, but the first efforts to establish a university in the Slovene Littoral region date back almost one hundred years.

In the early 20th century, there were a number of proposals to establish a university in the Littoral region, but none of these proposals came to fruition. After Slovenia gained independence in 1991, the efforts to establish a university in the region were renewed.

In 1995, the Slovene Science and Research Centre was founded in order to garner the intellectual potential of the future university, while 1996 witnessed the formation of the University Study Centre of Koper, which facilitated the development of higher education in the region and prepared the legal basis for founding the university.

The University of Primorska was finally founded in 2003, by a decision of the Slovenian Parliament. The university was created by merging three existing institutions: the University College of Koper, the University College of Izola, and the University College of Portorož.

The University of Primorska is also committed to internationalization. The university has partnerships with universities around the world, and offers a number of international programs and activities.

University of Primorska is ranked as the #3 top university in Slovenia during 2025.