The University of Erfurt has successfully established itself in the domestic and international academic landscape since its refounding in 1994 with a clear cultural and social scientific profile. It is a centrally placed teaching and research institution with a focus on religion, the humanities and cultural studies, society, and teacher preparation. It has around 6,000 students, about 100 professorships, about 400 academic staff members, and about 300 administrative staff members.
The University encourages the intensive study and multidisciplinary research on its campus in the state capital, near the city center, by facilitating direct communication across its short distances.
The University of Erfurt aspires to communicate its scientific discoveries to society while also setting standards in basic research. In doing so, the Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, the Gotha Research Institutes, and the four faculties—the Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences, and Faculty of Catholic Theology—contribute their structural and task-related diversity to the overall concept, facilitating interdisciplinary, global, and collaborative research.
The Gotha Research Library, which has one of Germany's largest collections of early modern manuscripts, is part of the university.
In addition to the Erasmus program, the institution collaborates. In contrast to the Erasmus program, most cooperation agreements in non-European nations, unless specifically indicated differently, apply to the entire university and not just certain programs or subjects. The majority of the partner universities for this program are found outside of Europe.