News

At the Estonian Best Enterprises Awards Gala on 1 November, the innovation centre Kobar – established by the Pärnumaa Development Centre and the University of Tartu Pärnu College – was presented with the Entrepreneurship Promotion Award.

We asked four recipients of honorary decorations to share what makes the University of Tartu special to them.

On 31 October, the senate of the University of Tartu decided to award the University of Tartu Grand Medal to former rector, Professor emeritus Jaak Aaviksoo, Professor Marlon Gerardo Dumas Menjivar, Professor Kalle Kirsimäe, and Professor Ivo Leito. The recipients of the University of Tartu Star of Appreciation, Medal, Badge of Distinction and the decoration “100 Semesters at the University of Tartu” have also been selected.

On 1 November, the special issue of Estonian Journal of Education (Eesti Haridusteaduste Ajakiri) will be published, focusing on early second language instruction and promoting language skills in kindergarten and school.

Join the Discover UniTartu virtual info sessions on 19–20 November 2025 to learn about international studies and student life at Estonia’s leading university.

On 27 October from 13–18, the University of Tartu development conference “A university for us, Estonia and the world” took place in the university assembly hall and online. Keynote speakers were Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Kersti Kaljulaid and Kristina Kallas.

As of 21 October, the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Universitas Tartuensis is Kaja Koovit, who has years of experience from Estonia’s leading media outlets.

The three-minute thesis competition for doctoral researchers, held at the University of Tartu Library on 22 October, featured 13 popular-science short lectures in Estonian and 14 in English.

Bachelor’s and master’s students at the University of Tartu are invited to apply until 15 November for the spring semester courses offered by the European university network ENLIGHT.

The British journal Times Higher Education has recently published the 22nd edition of its World University Rankings, in which the University of Tartu holds a position in the 301–350 bracket.

The guidelines for using AI applications for teaching and studies have been revised to provide teaching staff and students with a more transparent framework and practical instructions for using AI.

We invite you to give feedback on the University of Tartu gift shop’s product range to gather suggestions and opinions that would help us develop products that better meet the expectations of the university community.

On 8 October, this year’s mentoring programme began with an opening seminar.

International students at the University of Tartu share their first-year experiences — from cultural surprises and coping with homesickness to adapting to Estonia’s distinct seasons and lifestyle. They highlight the university’s supportive environment, approachable professors, and the strong sense of safety and community that makes Tartu feel like home.

On 7 October, members of the Committee on Education of the Swedish parliament (Riksdag), accompanied by the Swedish Ambassador Charlotte Wrangberg and the Swedish Honorary Consul Madis Kanarbik, visited the University of Tartu.

UniTartu Summer School 2025 brought together participants from 25 nationalities for two weeks of learning and cultural exchange in Tartu. Participants emphasised the quality of the courses and activities, with 91% expressing high satisfaction.

In October, internationally observed as cybersecurity month, the university aims to increase the awareness of information security among its staff and students. Cybersecurity at the university starts from the behaviour of each member.

On 2 October, the UT Vice Rector for Research Mari Moora and Professor of Cell Biology Toivo Maimets met with the Ambassador of the Czech Republic Zdeněk Beránek, the Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies of Masaryk University Šárka Pospíšilová and Professor Michael Doubek.

A new Estonian-language poetry collection titled Kass on kassas has been published with support from the University of Tartu. The author Mohsen Shourgashti is originally from Iran, but now lives in Tartu and works at the university as a Specialist in Plant Ecology. The book explores the nuances and playfulness of the Estonian language in a humorous and thought-provoking way.

The University of Tartu and Tallinn Health University of Applied Sciences have strengthened cooperation in intersectoral doctoral studies to support academic succession at the professional higher education institution and enhance its research capacity. In September, the first intersectoral doctoral researcher began their studies in the collaboration between the two institutions.