The earliest signs of agricultural education in the territory of present-day Estonia date back to the University of Tartu, Academia Gustaviana, founded in Tartu in 1632. In the 19th century, it was possible to study some agricultural subjects at the University of Tartu, which reopened in 1802.
The history of the Estonian University of Life Sciences dates back to 1848, when the Tartu Veterinary School was established. In 1873, it was transformed into the Tartu Veterinary Institute.
In 1919, the Veterinary Institute was incorporated into the University of Tartu and became the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. In the same year, the Faculty of Agriculture was established at the University of Tartu. In 1920, it was divided into the Department of Forestry and the Department of Agronomy. In addition to crop production, the latter also covered animal husbandry.
In 1946, the Faculty of Forestry was established on the basis of the Department of Forestry, and in 1950, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was renamed the Faculty of Veterinary Science.
In 1951 an independent university - the Estonian Agricultural Academy - was founded comprising the University faculties of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Science.
The Estonian Agricultural Academy was directly subordinate to the Soviet Union Ministry of Agriculture and prepared specialists in different fields of agriculture from agronomists and animal breeders to experts in the electrification of large farms. Work continued in this way until the end of the 1980s. Changes in Estonian society necessitated alterations in the teaching of farmers. As a result, the structure of the University was reorganised and the system of teaching rearranged.
From 1991 our educational institution was called the Estonian Agricultural University. New specialities like Environmental Protection, Landscape Architecture, Production and Marketing of Agricultural Products, Landscape Protection and Preservation, Applied Hydrobiology, Environmental Economics and Natural Resources Management were adopted.
In 1996 the new MainBuilding in the outskirts of the town was completed and the administration together with the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences moved in. May 2000 saw the opening of the library, café and canteen in the MainBuilding. In 2004 the new building of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (Zoomedicum) was opened.
Till the end of 2004 the University had six faculties (Agronomy, Agricultural Engineering, Economics & Social Sciences, Forestry, Rural Engineering, and Veterinary Sciences) and eight institutes (Estonian Agribiocentre, Estonian Plant Biotechnology Research Institute EVIKA, Forest Research Institute, Institute of Animal Science, Institute of Environmental Protection, Institute of Experimental Biology, Institute of Zoology and Botany and Polli Institute of Horticulture).
Since November 2005 the Estonian Agricultural University has been called the Estonian University of Life Sciences. From 2005 to 2022 the Estonian University of Life Sciences had structure of 5 institutes - Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Institute of Technology, Institute of Economics and Social Sciences.
Since January 2022 teaching and research is carried out in three institutes: Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Institute of Forestry and Engineering.
Student Cap
For decades, the university’s student cap has been more than just a piece of headwear – it has embodied the university’s identity, traditions and values. From the days of the Estonian Agricultural Academy to the present day, the design and meaning of the student cap have evolved alongside the university’s name, symbolism and changing times. Discover how the student cap of the Estonian University of Life Sciences and its predecessors has changed over the years.
Former rectors of the Estonian University of Life Sciences:
Richard Antons 1951-1954
Minna Klement 1954-1969
Arnold Rüütel 1969-1977
Nikolai Koslov 1977-1988
Olev Saveli 1988-1993
Mait Klaassen 1993-1998
Henn Elmet 1998-2002
Alar Karis 2003-2007
Mait Klaassen 2008-2022
