It was the first institute of higher learning in the country. In 1807 it ceased to become an independent institution and its functions were taken over by other local universities. In 1956 the University of Zagreb, the country's second oldest university, re-established it as its satellite Faculty of Arts campus. The faculty later became a part of the University of Split. More than six centuries after the original university's founding, in 2002, the Croatian Parliament passed an act to allow for its re-founding as a full-fledged independent university. The new University of Zadar opened its doors to students in January 2003.