The University of the Faroe Islands was founded in 1965 under the Latin name Academia Færoensis. Members of The Faroese Academy of Sciences, formed in 1952, promoted the establishment of a university in the Faroes. The efforts of The Faroese Academy of Sciences were directed towards fostering a scholarly and scientific community in the Faroes. The Academy’s activities included the publication of the scientific journal Fróðskaparrit and extensive efforts to collect Faroese vocabulary.

In 1965, based on a proposal from The Faroese Academy of Sciences, the Faroese Parliament agreed to establish the University of the Faroe Islands with the purpose of carrying out ‘scientific research and teaching at higher education level. It is the duty of the lecturers to promote both’.  With this the Faroese people were given a higher education institution.