The presence of a university in Ancona is a relatively recent historical development resulting from cultural, social, economic, and historical forces. In the Middle Ages, Ancona already boasted a School of Law, and in 1562 the town received authorization from Pope Pius V to found a "Studium Generale cuiuscumque Facultatis et Scientiae," offering instruction in Civil and Canon Law and Theology. The pontiff also bestowed the privilege of adding additional faculties, and the members of the faculty were invested with the power to grant the various academic degrees. Moreover, faculty and students alike enjoyed the privileges, prerogatives, and immunities granted to a "Studium Generale," like those in Bologna or Padua.
The new "Studium" flourished in a fervor of study for a century, followed by a progressive decline starting in the second half of the XVII century when students from the wealthier families in the town chose to attend the more famous "Studia" in Rome and Bologna. This decline culminated in the first closing of the "Studium" in 1739.
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