The Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) began on February 18, 1808, when Prince Regent Dom João VI established the School of Surgery of Bahia, the first university course in Brazil. Still in the 19th century, it incorporated the courses of Pharmacy (1832) and Dentistry (1864), the Academy of Fine Arts (1877), Law (1891), and Polytechnic (1896). In the 20th century, Isaías Alves created the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters (1941).

The founder of UFBA – the first rector of the University – was a prominent figure in the history of higher education. Born in Salvador in 1894, he graduated in medicine and specialized in surgery in São Paulo. Upon returning, he joined the chair of Pathology and Surgery and directed the Faculty of Medicine. During his 15 years as rector (1946-1961), he led the federalization process and implemented the physical and personnel infrastructure, writing the first chapter of an integrated university: Arts, Letters, Humanities, and Sciences. In his first year as rector, the University of Bahia was formally established. In 1950, it became the Federal University of Bahia, integrating the isolated schools and instituting other courses. In fifteen years under Edgard Santos's rectorship, UFBA flourished in the areas of arts, humanities, and health

.During his tenure as rector of Bahia, Edgard Santos brought in internationally renowned figures; he built the University Hospital; created the Center for Afro-Oriental Studies and the Canela, Federação, and Ondina campuses. During his rectorship, Bahia gained prominence, particularly in Dance, Music, and Theater, the first university courses of their kind in the country. In the 1960s, UFBA (Federal University of Bahia) underpinned two important phenomena of contemporary culture: Cinema Novo and Tropicalismo. The institution grew and modernized, while maintaining the identity of the Edgard Santos era.