The University of Groningen has a rich academic tradition dating back to 1614. Out of this tradition rose the first female student and the first female lecturer in the Netherlands, the first Dutch astronaut and the first president of the European Central Bank. Geographically, the University is rooted in the North of the Netherlands, a region very close to its heart.

The University provides high quality research and teaching in a broad and varied range of fields of study. It is distinguished by the close link the University of Groningen has forged between research and teaching, a bond that does justice to their interdependence.
As an institution facilitating academic research and teaching, the University works at the forefront in its respective fields. The University undertakes its cooperative relationships on the basis of openness and equality. In these relationships, the University is socially involved, purposeful and creative. The University stimulates current debate on scientific, social and cultural issues and is clear and convincing in such debates.