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With the annual awards, the university aims to recognise its employees’ and students’ outstanding achievements in teaching, doing research and serving society.

On 1 December, the 106th anniversary of Estonia’s national university, 142 doctoral degrees were conferred.

On 21 November, Rector Toomas Asser handed over the university’s this year’s 123 honorary decorations. This marked the beginning of the traditional events of the 106th anniversary of Estonia’s national university.

University of Tartu Asia Centre Annual Conference: Asia Update. Transformations and Futures of the Middle East will be held in Tartu on 23-24 April, 2026.

20th Annual Conference of the Nordic Association of Japanese Studies (NAJS) will be held in Tartu on May 28-29, 2026.

Urmas Hõbepappel, an analyst at the University of Tartu Asia Centre, explores the border disputes between Russia and China in his latest report.

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 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.

The University of Tartu was founded on 25 October 393 years ago. This year, the anniversary was marked by memorial ceremonies, a concert and other events.

Interest in the European Research Council (ERC) programme has grown among University of Tartu researchers. In response, the Grant Writing Unit is organising an ERC Information Event on 4 November 2025, focused on individual ERC Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced Grants.

From 13 October to 16 November, the university family and all others are invited to complete the orienteering course “160 years of making sense of weather observations”.

Scholarships and fellowships for studies and research in Asia and the Middle East

University of Tartu Asia Centre scholarship of €4,383 for PhD fieldwork research in Taiwan

Announcement of public talk on shift of China’s strategic concerns including geoeconomics, geopolitics, green energy, and the Arctic.

The Faculty of Medicine Anniversary Thematic Conference on 3 October will be opened by Andrew Epaphroditus Tay, Head of Wellbeing at the National University of Singapore.

The University of Tartu has a Student Union (UTSU) of nearly 140 members, which has been steadfastly standing for students’ rights and solving their concerns for years. Full of initiative, student representatives have brought numerous ideas to life within the university and drawn attention to various institutional shortcomings.

On 27 October from 13–18, the University of Tartu development conference “A university for us, Estonia and the world” took place at the assembly hall of the university's main building and online to initiate a discussion on topics important for society and the university. The discussion were be based on the new University of Tartu strategic plan approved in June.

Apply for the University of Tartu Asia Centre scholarship

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. During the event we will talk about Gaza, the future of the Palestinian state and whether peace is still possible.

1 December marks 106 years from the opening of the Estonian-language University of Tartu. Traditional anniversary events are held on that occasion.