The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 as the first university in Denmark. With its more than 525 years, the University of Copenhagen is one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe. Counting over 37,000 students and more than 7,000 employees, the University of Copenhagen is the largest institution of research and education in Denmark. The purpose of the University – to quote the University Statute – is to ’conduct research and provide further education to the highest academic level’.

The motivational force of the University's research activities is financially and politically independent, i.e. free basic research; however, specific collaborative endeavours with other institutions and companies also have a place among the countless research activities. The dissemination of knowledge and findings to other research environments and the general public is a natural element of the University's research efforts.

The diversity of academic environments and scientific approaches is the University of Copenhagen's distinguishing feature and strength. Within the shared framework, the University is divided into eight academic fields referred to as faculties. The faculties are further divided into departments and institutes acting as the primary workplace for the University's researchers. The University is also home to a number of centres, interdisciplinary projects and other units typically focusing their work on research in more specific academic areas. These activities take place in various environments ranging from the plant world of the Botanical Gardens, through high-technology laboratories and auditoriums, to the historic buildings and lecture rooms of Frue Plads and other locations.

A merger with The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University and The Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences on 1 January 2007 has led to the formation of one of the largest Health and Life Science centres in Northern Europe consisting of four of the University's faculties: the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Life Sciences, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Faculty of Science.

The University of Copenhagen aims to prepare students for a broad range of jobs in the private and public sectors. For this reason, teaching at the University covers specific skills and scientific methods as well as other more theoretical skills that will enable graduates to improve their qualifications.

Teaching and research are closely integrated in order to achieve this, first and foremost by according them equal importance in the daily work of the academic and scientific staff and whenever possible basing the teaching on research.