The Universität Leipzig was founded in 1409. In the course of its diverse history, it grew to encompass a wide selection of disciplines comprising almost all areas of knowledge, with a special emphasis on the humanities and the natural sciences. World-renowned scientists and scholars have taught or studied in Leipzig, and important impulses for the development of thought originated here. As the Landesuniversität (the State University of Saxony), it has contributed significantly to the development of this region. Its aim is to continue these great traditions. Its mission is:
The Universität Leipzig covers a very wide spectrum of disciplines in the humanities and the social, natural, and medical sciences, which develop and interact with each other. The University is proud of this tradition and committed to fostering interdisciplinarity.
The University supports achievement, qualification, and competition in research and teaching. Research at the highest level is both the aim of the University and the standard by which its members are measured. The University will intensify the concentration of its forces in research centres.
The University as a place of free inquiry and culture is dedicated to pure research as well as to a responsible application of its results.
The University is a place of international cooperation in research and teaching. Concentrations with an international orientation receive particular support.
Teaching at the University is characterized by a high scholarly and didactic level and by an individual approach. The University will be measured as much by its adherence to this goal as by the motivation of students to attain high academic achievement and social engagement.
The University meets the challenge of lifelong learning by offering continuing education and training on a high scientific and scholarly level. With its manifold offerings for individuals, institutions, and companies, the University strives to be an intellectual and cultural centre with an influence beyond the region.
The University fosters the development of its students into critical and tolerant individuals with a sense of initiative and responsibility. The University trains leaders for its own needs as well as for the needs of others. It supports the de facto equality of women and men.
In the course of their common history, the city of Leipzig as a centuries-old place of trade, and its University, have been shaped by internationality, openness, and the cultivation of cultural traditions and tolerance. This character determines life and work at the University. All members of the academic community are dedicated to the development of the University itself and the welfare of humanity in general. Autonomy and self-administration are guiding principles for the conduct of all individuals and groups forming the University.
