Lille and Polytechnic University Federation (French: Université Catholique de Lille), which also goes by the name Lille Catholic University ("Catho"), is a federation of Catholic-inspired institutions established in 1973. Its history dates back to 1875 when the first of these institutions was created. The Federation comprises five faculties, 20 schools and institutes, research centers, and a hospital, with a cumulative student body of 24,540 in 2012.