The Baltic University in Exile was established in the displaced persons camps in Germany to educate refugees from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The University was established at Hamburg in the British Zone of Occupation in March 1946, with aid from UNRRA, the Lutheran World Federation, and other groups. In early 1947, it was moved to a former Luftwaffe school in Pinneberg and renamed the Displaced Person's Study Centre. The Estonian astronomer Ernst Öpik became its first Rector, and later the Lithuanian archaeologist, Jonas Puzinas, became head of the institution. Because many of the staff and students had found homes in other countries, the University was closed in September 1949.[1]
A total of 76 students graduated from the Baltic University in its short existence: 53 of them were Latvian, 16 Lithuanian, and 7 Estonian. Many others went on to complete their studies in other universities.
"The Baltic DP university with about 170 professors on the teaching staff and 1,200 students in eight faculties and 13 subdivisions has been running for three semester."[2]