The University of Tartu was established in 1632 by the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus. In the 19th century, it became the 11th largest German-language university in the world. UT scientist Wilhelm Ostwald received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909. University of Tartu has been an Estonian-language institution since 1919, but today also offers study programmes in English.
While mainly located in Tartu, the university also operates in Narva, Pärnu, Tallinn and Viljandi.
UT consists of four faculties:
UT offers study programmes both in Estonian and English.
More than 100 doctoral degrees are defended annually, which makes up more than half of the total number in Estonia.
All students are free to learn any foreign language offered by the UT.
Research at UT focuses on subjects as diverse as medicine and philosophy, genetics and computer science.
UT is the strongest research university in Estonia – it is among the top 1% of the most-cited universities and research institutions in 11 areas of research. At the University of Tartu, currently more than 3,300 scientific publications are produced every year.In addition, 32 UT scientists belong to the top 1% most-cited scientists in the world.
UT cooperates with international companies such asMercedes Benz and India’s biggest medical technology company Trivitron Healthcare Pvt Ltd.
83% of UT master’s graduates work as top specialists or managers. In Estonia, the University of Tartu graduates make up 40% of the parliament, 64% of the government ministers, 87% of attorneys at law, 100% of judges, 95% of prosecutors and 99% of doctors.
The University of Tartu provides free career and entrepreneurship counseling. Certain institutes (most notably the Institute of Computer Science) cooperate with industry, offering students internships as part of the curriculum.All students are able to get free psychological counseling. The university also supports students with special needs upon entering the university, participating in studies, making exams and tests, providing study materials as well as creating a suitable social and physical environment.
All incoming students will be assigned a tutor – a local student volunteer who will help adapt into academic environment at the University of Tartu. Tutors will receive e-mail addresses of their group-members and it is most probable that new students will be contacted prior to the beginning of a semester.
All information at the University of Tartu is available in English.International students are accommodated in modern residence halls located about a 5 min walk from Tartu’s main square and 10 min from the university’s main building.
Each apartment in the residence halls consists of 2-3 twin bedrooms with a shared kitchen and bathroom. Kitchens are furnished with a refrigerator and a stove. Students need to have their own pillows, bed linen, cookware and utensils. Admitted students will receive information about the housing application right away. A place in a twin room costs up to 120 EUR/month.
The residence halls also provide:
UT main library is the oldest and largest research library in Estonia. It holds over 4.1 million items and hosts around 2000 visitors every day. The library has an online system where students can borrow books, download electronic materials from databases, etc. The library contains book stacks, reading rooms, a conference centre, exhibition halls, computer centres and private working rooms.
The University of Tartu offers free WiFi in its residence halls, study buildings and libraries. Furthermore, free WiFi is available in many areas in the city. Registration to courses and all other necessary proceedings can be done online.
UT runs the biggest hospital in Estonia and operates several clinics throughout Tartu. The university also provides a professional psychologist for students.
The University of Tartu operates all over Tartu and has colleges in Narva, Pärnu, Tallinn and Viljandi. UT owns over 100 buildings, including 3 museums and a botanical garden.
UT Academic Sports Club, located in Tartu, has been the most successful athletics club in Estonia for over 100 years. Nowadays, students enjoy a wide variety of modern sports facilities including main sports hall (gym, fitness club, jogging tracks and basketball courts), stadium, rowing base, gyms for wrestling and gymnastics. The Club provides discounts for students. The university’s professional basketball team is one of the most successful basketball teams in Estonia.
In addition to various faculty-based student clubs and organisations (e.g IdeaLab, Marketing Club or Robotics Club), there are different student associations for all international students, such as AIESEC, Erasmus Student Network and International Student Ambassadors.
Every seven years, all Estonian higher education institutions must undergo external evaluation – institutional accreditation. The latest assessment took place in 2022. The assessment council of the Estonian Quality Agency for Education decided to accredit the University of Tartu for the next seven years (2023-2029).
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 45 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 244 | 236 | 281 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By TopUniversities
Dropped 5 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 358 | 362 | 367 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 601 | 501 | 501 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | 301 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Based on 100 reviews
University of Tartu honestly feels very academic and research-focused, especially in Materials Science. The courses are structured and serious, and you really feel that the university has a strong scientific culture behind it. The teachers are surprisingly approachable. You can talk to professors after class, ask questions freely, and in labs it feels more like working with mentors than just attending lectures. The materials labs are modern and research-oriented, so it never feels like you�re only studying theory. Tartu as a city is small but perfect for students. Everything is walkable, cozy caf�s are everywhere, and the whole city feels like it revolves around university life. Dorm life , especially Raatuse, is where the real Erasmus experience begins. Shared kitchens turn into late-night conversations, spontaneous dinners, and meeting people from all over the world. Social life happens naturally, with weekly Erasmus events, parties, trips, and random corridor chats turning into friendships.
There is a variety of courses to choose from for every student, regardless of their major. Professors from different backgrounds are experts in their field. The town is small so there is student life going on everywhere, a warm and welcoming community.
Ok teachers, ok buildings, world level education. Much honest education, not some scam. Can meet new people, make new friends if want. Teachers are educated, ok people, know what they do. Ok country too, in Europe.
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
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