Aarhus University Seal

About Aarhus University

Aarhus University in brief

Aarhus University is a modern research-intensive university. Since its establishment in 1928, the university has rapidly developed into a leading public research university with nationwide and international clout across the entire research spectrum. The university places a high priority on a close connection to business and industry, and it takes pride in its engagement in the development of the society to which it belongs.

Aarhus University is comprised of four faculties that cover the humanities, theology and education; business and social sciences; health science; and science and technology. The university has a total of twenty-seven departments and is home to over thirty internationally recognised research centres, including fifteen Centres of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation. The university attracts one-fourth of Danish government research funding.

Almost half of the university’s 45,000 students are enrolled at Master’s degree or PhD level. A tenth of these students are international, with over 100 nationalities represented. The university employs approximately 11,500 academic and administrative members of staff.

Global-scale research excellence

Outstanding research is central to the university’s identity and mission, and it forms the foundation for the university’s activities in the areas of education, talent development and knowledge exchange. In an environment that promotes creativity and autonomy, Aarhus University offers both junior and senior researchers unique opportunities to conduct research at the highest level in fruitful collaboration with both the public and private sector.

Aarhus University’s research has a broadly acknowledged international reputation for excellence.  Over the last decade, the university has consolidated its position in the top 100 of the most influential university rankings, and on two occasions researchers at Aarhus University have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

Award-winning main campus

In harmonious interplay with the rolling hills and tranquil lakes of the University Park, the striking yellow-brick buildings designed by renowned architect C. F. Møller create an inspiring and vibrant setting for study and social and cultural activities that welcome staff, students and town residents alike. The campus is located in the heart of Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, just minutes from the lively pulse of the historic city centre. In addition to the main campus in Aarhus, the university has seventeen satellite locations, including three unique research stations in Greenland.

When the Danish Ministry of Culture published its Canon of Danish Art and Culture in 2007, Aarhus University’s buildings and the University Park in Aarhus were listed among the twelve most important architectural icons in Denmark.