The University of Vienna was founded in 1365 and is based in Vienna. Its imprint describes it as a legal entity under public law under section 4 of Austria’s 2002 Universities Act, with the University Board, the Rectorate, the Rector and the Senate as its senior governing bodies. Sebastian Schütze is Rector; the current Rectorate holds office from 1 October 2026 until 30 September 2030.
The university is organised into 20 faculties and centres, which its About us page says are home to approximately 87,000 students. It reports around 11,000 employees, including approximately 7,700 academic staff, and 188 degree programmes. The university describes itself as Austria’s largest research institution and the country’s largest educational institution.