Founded in 1632, UT is the only classical university in Estonia. There are more than 13 000 students studying at UT (incl. 1800 international students) and UT has 3800 employees (incl. 1800 academic employees (190 professors)). To support and develop the professional competence of its students and academic staff, the university has 80 partner universities in 31 countries.
UT includes 4 faculties and 4 colleges. Most of UT is located in Tartu, the second biggest city in Estonia; however, its colleges are located in Pärnu, Viljandi and Narva. Tartu has a population of 100 000, and a fifth of its residents are students.
Tartu is a lively student city. Each academic year starts with freshman days and the highlights of each semester are the Spring and Autumn Student Days, a week-long festival of events especially for students. UT has numerous students clubs and associations, ranging from professional organizations to informal groups. For international students, ESN Tartu is the main organization that focuses its attention on international students’ well-being.
UT offers a wide selection of programmes and unique disciplines for students. UT also participates in several Erasmus Mundus and other joint Master's programmes delivered in cooperation with the world's leading universities. UT follows the Bologna process in the organization of its teaching and Bachelor-Master (3+2) system of study modules. The length of PhD studies is 4 years. The academic year starts at the beginning of September each year.