From 1596 onwards, during the final years of the sixteenth century, the Jesuits provided higher education at their college in L’Aquila. Following the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Kingdom in 1767, the Aquilanum Collegium became the Collegio Reale. Alongside the traditional chairs of theology, philosophy, history, mathematics, literature and Greek, new scientific disciplines were introduced in 1785, including chemistry, anatomy, and the theory and practice of medicine; surgery and midwifery followed in 1792. However, by decree of 30 May 1807, Joseph Napoleon reorganised the Royal Colleges of the Kingdom, suppressing the institution in L’Aquila and transferring it to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit of Morrone, near Sulmona.
 
Seven years later, on 21 August 1814, Joachim Murat, Napoleon’s brother-in-law and King of Naples, inaugurated in L’Aquila a school of higher education serving the entire Abruzzi region, with university-level teaching in medicine. After the Bourbon Restoration, a decree of 14 January 1817 established in L’Aquila, as in Bari, Salerno and Catanzaro, a Reale Liceo offering courses in law, anatomy and physiology, surgery and midwifery, chemistry and pharmaceutical studies, forensic medicine and other scientific subjects. By decree of 3 December 1874, students of the Reale Liceo of L’Aquila were authorised to practise pharmacy, surgery and land surveying, although degrees continued to be conferred by the University of Naples, upon which the Licei depended. As a consequence, enrolment at the institution — which in 1861 had become the Scuola Universitaria di Farmacia, Notariato e Chirurgia Minore — declined significantly.
 
In 1923 the “University Schools” ceased to exist. It was not until the summer of 1949 that, thanks to the efforts of Vincenzo Rivera — professor of agricultural sciences, member of the Accademia Italiana, deputy of the Constituent Assembly and several-time Member of Parliament — university-level summer courses were launched in L’Aquila, mainly for students from Abruzzo enrolled at the University of Rome. The success of these courses laid the foundations for the establishment of a free University of L’Aquila. With the support of local institutions, teaching officially began on 15 December 1952 at the Istituto Universitario di Magistero.
 
Professor Rivera also played a decisive role in the creation of important scientific infrastructures connected with the University, including the astronomical observatory at Campo Imperatore on the Gran Sasso massif, located at 2,200 metres above sea level, together with the high-altitude observatory and botanical gardens, the geodynamics observatory, the national geomagnetism observatory and the museum of palaeontology. The establishment of the Institute of Medicine was instead largely due to the efforts of Professor Paride Stefanini.
 
In the academic year 1982–1983, the Faculties of Education, Medicine, Engineering and Science — which until then had constituted the free University of L’Aquila, formally established by Presidential Decree on 18 August 1964 — became state institutions. The Faculty of Economics was added in 1991, while in 1993 the Faculty of Education became the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy. The late 1990s saw the creation of two additional faculties: Educational Sciences in 1996 and Sport Sciences in 1999. In 2005, the Faculties of Psychology and Biotechnologies were established.
 
Research activities were originally coordinated through 18 Departments, covering fields such as architecture and urban planning, biomedical sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, environmental sciences, medicine, mathematics, physics, economics and the humanities.
 
Following the entry into force of Act No. 240 of 30 December 2010 and the adoption of a new University Statute, the University of L’Aquila reorganised its teaching and research structure. In 2012 seven new Departments were established to promote, coordinate and carry out research and academic teaching: the Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences; the Department of Civil, Construction-Architectural and Environmental Engineering; the Department of Human Studies; the Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics; the Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics; the Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences; and the Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences.
 
The University of L’Aquila hosts three centres of excellence — CETEMPS, DEWS and EX-EMERGE — together with four specialised research centres: CERFIS, CITRAMS, DMTA and M&MOCS.
 
The University is also responsible for the Alpine Botanical Garden located near the Gran Sasso cableway station. Extending over approximately 3,000 square metres, the garden preserves plant species native to the Gran Sasso area, endemic flora of the central Apennines, primitive alpine species, plants originating from the eastern Balkans and a wide range of medicinal plants.
 
Research and teaching in Physics benefit greatly from close collaboration with the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS). During the 1980s, the National Institute for Nuclear Physics constructed underground laboratories adjacent to the motorway tunnel crossing the Gran Sasso massif. Shielded by approximately 1,400 metres of rock, these laboratories host internationally renowned research in astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics and geophysics.
 
Professors and researchers from the Università degli Studi dell’Aquila have also established strong academic links with the Gran Sasso Science Institute, an international doctoral school and advanced research centre specialising in physics, mathematics, computer science and social sciences.
 
The University’s departments maintain collaborations with research centres and institutions throughout the world. Numerous research projects are carried out in partnership with high-technology industries, including Dompé Farmaceutici, a leading pharmaceutical company that established both industrial and research facilities in L’Aquila.
 
The devastating earthquake that struck L’Aquila on 6 April 2009 caused severe damage and tragic loss of life across the city, including within the University community. In the aftermath of the disaster, students, academic staff and technical-administrative personnel demonstrated extraordinary resilience and determination, ensuring the continuity of teaching, research and institutional activities, and reaffirming the University’s enduring commitment to knowledge, innovation and public service.

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