The Bucharest University of Economic Studies (Academia de Studii Economice din București) is a public university on Roman Square (Piața Romană) in Bucharest. It is one of the largest economic higher education institutes in Romania and southeastern Europe.
The institution was founded on 6 April 1913 as the Academy of Higher Level Commercial and Industrial Studies (Academia de Înalte Studii Comerciale și Industriale) by the decree of King Carol I. The main building of the university is located on Roman Square and was built between 1924 and 1926. It was designed by the architects Grigore Cerchez, Edmond van Saanen-Algi, and Arghir Culina in a Neo-Classical style. The building has a circular corner with a cupola, and the facades are decorated with colossal columns.
In 1947, the academy merged with the Academy of Cooperative Studies, and its name was changed to the Academy of Commercial and Cooperative Studies. In 1948, under the communist regime, the Soviet model for higher education studies was adopted and the name was changed to Institute for Economic Sciences and Planning. After a reorganization in 1967, the institution got its current name, University of Economic Studies.
