The University of Tasmania was officially founded on 1st January 1890, by an Act of the Colony's Parliament and was only the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia.

Through its campuses in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie, UTAS exploits the very best of its unique environment and the island’s natural and built resources to deliver quality higher education and research.

UTAS positions itself as an international university working out of Tasmania.  It was named 2005 Tasmanian Exporter of the Year.

It defines research, learning and teaching expertise through several key areas: Antarctic and marine studies; community, place and change; environment; frontier technologies; population and health; and sustainable primary production.  These themes are supported by centres and institutes including the Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits (CODES), a collaboration between the Australian Government, the minerals industry and university partners; the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence; the Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS); the Australian Innovation Research Centre (AIRC); and the Menzies Research Institute.

In 2007, the student population was 20,284 with 4,298 international students drawn from over 70 countries.  The University has transnational education programs in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and New Zealand.  The University works with institutions around the world to offer students an international experience, with exchange arrangements in place with over 40 institutes throughout Europe, Asia and North America.

With the integration on 1 January 2008 of  the Australian Maritime College (AMC) as a specialist institute of the University, UTAS’s capacity as a centre of expertise in maritime-related studies, including naval architecture, ocean engineering and maritime hydrodynamics, integrated transport logistics, marine science and technology, fisheries and sustainable management of ocean resources will be significant.