The University of Bialystok was established in 1997 from the Branch of Warsaw University after 29 years of its existence. Today UwB is one of the largest and strongest academic centers in North-Eastern Poland due to its scientific standards and potential.

 
The University consists of nine faculties, including one located abroad in Vilnius. Classes and lectures are delivered by app. 850 academic teacher (nearly 200 are independent research scholars). At present the University educates app. 17.000 students in almost 30 fields of study. It offers about 100 different postgraduate courses. The student movement is thriving: there are about 70 student research clubs at the University.
 
PhD degree studies are carried out within five University units:the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Economics and Management, the Faculty of Philology, the Faculty of Biology and Chemistry and the Faculty of History and Sociology. UwB is entitled to confer 10 university degrees of doctor and 4 postdoctoral degrees (doktor habilitowany).
 
The region’s unique nature and cultural diversity, which attracts scientific studies, are applied to science research carried out at the University.
 
The University cooperates with institutions of higher education abroad within the frames of almost 50 agreements for scientific cooperation in Erasmus+ . Thanks to inter-university and international cooperation the UwB students take part in professional internship trainings abroad.
 
The University has awarded Honoris Causa Doctorate Degree to ten outstanding persons for their immense scientific, social and political achievements: Prof. Brunon Hołyst, Prof. Jerzy Wilkin, President of Poland in Exile - Ryszard Kaczorowski, a founder of Paris “Culture” – Jerzy Giedroyć, Prof. Andrzej Stelmachowski, Prof. Andrzej Wyczański, Orthodox Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland - Archbishop Prof. Sawa (Hrycuniak), Prof. Marcel Morabito, Archbishop Metropolitan of Bialystok - Prof. Edward Ozorowski, and Prof. Keiichi Yamanaka.
 
The University of Bialystok is continually developing and improving its facilities to provide the best possible conditions to study and research. It may be proved, inter alia, by the university investments: new lecture hall at the Faculty of Law,  new sports hall, the University Computing Centre and educational building for the needs of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics. The largest investment in the history of the university was the construction of the University Campus at Ciołkowskiego street in Bialystok.