Why could Kovalevskaya attend a university in Heidelberg but not in Berlin? Weren't they both in Germany?

Question

Researching Sonya Kovalevskaya

Answer 1

If you are referring to Sofia Kovalevskaya, she attended university in Heidelberg around 1868 because most universities at that time did not enroll female students. In 1870 she moved back to Berlin to study advanced mathematics under Karl Weierstrass but he tutored her privately instead of enrolling her in the U. of Berlin because females were still not allowed in the Universities at the time. The link below has a great deal more info that might be able to assist you in putting together your research! Good luck! Oh yeah, I couldn't find anything on a Sonya except some white pages listing in a Russian data base.

Answer 2

Yes they were. Here's why:

Kovalevskaya was admitted to the University of Heidelberg, Germany, which allowed her to study as long as the professors involved approved. After two years of mathematical studies at Heidelberg, she moved to the University of Berlin, where she had to take private lessons from Karl Weierstrass since the university didn't admit women at all.