University of Constance

University of Konstanz

German: Universität Konstanz
Type	Public
Established	1966
Rector	Ulrich Rüdiger[]
Academic staff	1,251 January 2016
Administrative staff	984 January 2016
Students	11,706 WS 2016/17
Location	Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Affiliations	German Excellence Universities, EUA, YERUN, IBH
Website	www.uni-konstanz.de

The University of Konstanz (German: Universität Konstanz) is a university in the city of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was founded in 1966, and the main campus on the Gießberg was opened in 1972. The University is situated on the shore of Lake Constance just four kilometers from the Swiss border. As one of eleven German Excellence Universities, University of Konstanz is consistently ranked among the global top 250 by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings . In 2016 it was ranked 7th globally by the Times Higher Education 150 under 50 rankings. It is often referred to as "small Harvard" by the German media.

Over 10,000 students from close to 100 countries are enrolled at the university, while over 220 links to European partner universities and numerous exchange programmes facilitate global networking. Students may choose from more than 100 degree programs. Moreover, Konstanz University cooperates with a large number of renowned universities such as Johns Hopkins University,Yale University, the University of Chicago,UC Berkeley and the University of Zurich. Its library is open 24 hours a day and has more than two million books.

In 1965 the founding committee of the university developed the concept of a reform university with new forms of study and teaching, a central administration and central facilities for technology, computers and language training. New forms of self-administration replaced traditional university structures. In 1966 the university began its work in a wing of today's Inselhotel, formerly a Dominican monastery. Professor David Daube, Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford, gave the inaugural lectures.