Pázmány Péter Catholic University is the official legal successor of the University of Nagyszombat, founded by Péter Pázmány, Archbishop of Esztergom, and later the Roman Catholic Academy of Theology, which was recognised as a university by the Hungarian Parliament in its Resolution No. 2/1993 (II.4.). Since 1999, it has been considered as a university of the Holy See. Accordingly, the University is a fully accredited, state-recognised higher education institution by the Hungarian Accreditation Committee, which carries out its teaching activities predominantly in Budapest and to a lesser extent in Esztergom.
The University's longest established Faculty of Theology, which also has the status of a religious faculty, has been operating in Veres Pálné Street since 1998. In addition to the university degree course of Catholic theologians, the Faculty offers courses in cathecate-pastoral assistant, Catholic community manager, religious teacher and educator, and Catholic canon lawyer.
The later Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences became an autonomous teaching unit in 1992 with the approval of the Holy See. It started its activities in Budapest and two years later moved to Piliscsaba, on the site of a former Soviet barracks, to a campus designed by architect Imre Makovecz. Due to its isolated nature, its distance from the capital city and the high costs of maintaining its buildings of special design, the faculty finally moved to Budapest in 2013.
The Faculty of Law and Political Sciences started its activities in April 1995. Its seat is located in Szentkirályi Street, and the difference in its name compared to other Hungarian law faculties (law preceding political sciences) is based on the credo of its founding dean, János Zlinszky, to prioritise law over political sciences.
The Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, which has been in operation since 1998, is located in Práter Street and its courses focus on information technologies and life sciences. It was founded with the aim of creating a base for multidisciplinary research university training, and its key figure was Tamás Roska, an academician.
The postgraduate Institute of Canon Law is an independent faculty of the University.