Although the University of Nice officially began to operate in October 1965, its predecessor dates back to 1635, when the Prince of Savoy established the Collegium Jurisconsultorum Niciensium as a renowned French school of law. In 1965, the school became a multidisciplinary university comprising faculties of letters, sciences, law and economics. The name Sophia Antipolis was added to the University’s name in 1989 to correspond with the technology park, which bears the same name.

The University’s academic and administrative facilities include a computer centre, libraries, audiovisual classrooms and language labs. The university also provides athletic facilities for tennis, swimming, gymnastics and skiing. The Schuman Campus and the Business Management Institute (IAE) are situated in the centre of Nice. The university also features the Trotabas campus, where the students of Law, Economics and Management have classes; the Valrose campus for Sciences students; and the Carlone campus, for those studying Letters, Arts and Humanities. It also operates such secondary campuses as the new Saint-Jean d’Angely in Nice, Sophia Antipolis and Villefranche-sur-Mer outside Nice.

The University boasts libraries in seven separate geographical locations, along with specialised libraries in individual departments, institutes and laboratories in Nice. The objective of the libraries is to obtain the necessary information for teaching and research, ensure universal access to this documentation, and coordinate the purchasing policy of the library. The academic year of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis begins in late September and runs to June. Its first semester begins in late September and ends in January, and the second semester begins in February and finishes in June.