Biography

In 1871, Prime Minister Thorbecke himself wrote a letter to Mr Jacobs to inform him that his daughter Aletta was permitted to register at the University of Groningen as the first female student ever. On 20 April that year, Aletta Jacobs was the first woman in the Netherlands to register at a university as a regular student. Exactly 150 years later, on 20 April 2021, the UG will start the Aletta Year in her honour.

Aletta Jacobs was initially allowed to study for a trial period of one year. On his deathbed, however, Thorbecke granted her permission to sit examinations as well. In 1877 and 1878, she successfully completed her State Examination, making her the first female physician in the Netherlands. In 1879, Jacobs gained her PhD and started working as a general physician in Amsterdam. Aletta Jacobs was the first woman in the Netherlands to complete a full academic degree programme at a Dutch university.

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