Stockholm University was founded in 1878 as a radical alternative to the traditional universities. Now as then, the university stands for openness and accessibility and has an active role in society.

Stockholm University, which is free of exams and exams, is formed as a counterweight to the traditional higher education institutions in Uppsala and Lund. In the autumn of 1877, the first open lectures are held in the handicraft school's house on Mäster Samuelsgatan. Lectures are held in mathematics, physics, chemistry and geology, and soon also in cultural history and economics. The tradition of open lectures is still alive today.