Jean-Baptiste Marcoz, a politician and mathematics professor, bequeathed his entire fortune to the City of Chambéry in 1834, thereby founding the first vocational school and enabling the construction, in 1890, of the original buildings that now house the university’s administration. A vice-rectorate was established in Chambéry in 1860, followed by a rectorate in 1862, which remained in place until 1920. It was not until 1960 that a University College of Sciences was founded, followed in 1963 by a University College of Arts. Their merger in 1969 gave rise to the University Center of Savoie (CUS), located in Chambéry. Its first president, the jurist Roger Decottignies, lent his name to the lecture hall on Rue Marcoz.
In 1973, the Annecy-le-Vieux University Institute of Technology (IUT d’Annecy) opened its doors, paving the way for a successful two-campus development. Finally, by decree of June 27, 1979, the CUS officially became the University of Chambéry, commonly known as the “University of Savoie.” The student residence at Jacob-Bellecombette was named after its first president, the biologist Jacques Rebecq.
Since then, the Savoy-based company has continued to grow. It operates in two departments and is spread across four main locations:
- The Annecy, Bourget-du-Lac, and Jacob-Bellecombette campuses;
- The Presidency in Chambéry.
It became a founding member of the “Université de Grenoble” Research and Higher Education Cluster (PRES) on July 16, 2010, and subsequently became a full member of the “Université Grenoble Alpes” Community of Universities and Institutions (ComUE) “Université Grenoble Alpes” following the law of July 22, 2013, until the latter’s dissolution and the creation of the new Université Grenoble Alpes on January1, 2020.
In 2014, the University of Savoie decided to rebrand. The following year, it became “Université Savoie Mont Blanc,” a symbol of unity between the two Savoie departments and of national and international visibility.
Located between Lyon and Grenoble, on the borders of Switzerland and Italy, the University of Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB) is a major contributor to the intellectual, cultural, social, and economic development of its region. Thanks to the close and constructive ties it has forged with local, regional, and national stakeholders, USMB is now an indispensable partner in the academic dynamism of a French-speaking region that extends beyond national borders. It is a founding member of the European UNITA alliance, which brings together 12 universities, all located in mountainous and border regions in Portugal, France, Romania, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
USMB has nearly 15,000 students and offers approximately 200 degree programs at all levels of the Bachelor’s-Master’s-Doctorate (L-M-D) system. Its academic programs are supported by the work of 18 recognized research laboratories, including 11 joint research units. Our university defines itself as a center for research and professional development, deeply rooted in its local community, resolutely European, and broadly open to the world.