The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen graduate schools, and thirteen research institutes.

The university's educational and research activities are centred in its three main campuses in Kyoto: Yoshida, Uji and Katsura.

[7] In addition to these campuses, the university owns facilities and lands for educational and research purposes around the country.

The low rates of success of its graduates in the Higher Civil Service Examinations led to the Chief Commercial Law Professor Yoshihito Takane (高根義人) adopting a distinct style of teaching, which he called the 'German way of cherishing the freedom of research, teaching, and learning'.

[12] The Allied Occupation Period following Japan's defeat in the Second World War saw a radical reform in the country's educational system, and Kyoto University was not immune from it.

The now-integrated higher school became the College of Liberal Arts (教養部, Kyōyō-bu) within the university in September 1949, and came to be in charge of equipping all first-year undergraduates with general knowledge such as mathematics and foreign languages.

Situated in Sakyo, Kyoto, the Yoshida Campus is the oldest and serves as the university's central hub.

This campus is characterised by its mix of architectural styles, from historic brick buildings such as the Clock Tower Centennial Hall to modern research facilities.

Today, it houses several research institutes and centres focusing on natural sciences and energy.

[16] The Katsura Campus, in Nishikyo, Kyoto, is recognised as a 'Techno-science Hill' for its forward-looking approach to research and education in engineering and informatics.

The president of the university is Nagahiro Minato, who assumed the office in October 2020 and expected to serve until September 2026.

This program is designed for students with no prior Japanese language proficiency and offers various financial support options, including admission/tuition fee waivers and monthly scholarships.

The university facilitates a conducive learning environment with English-taught programmes, Japanese language education, and scholarships tailored to international students' needs.

[39] In the Nature index 2023 annual table, Kyoto University was ranked 44th for its output in selected journals in the fields of natural sciences and Health Sciences research, among all leading research institutions in the world (2nd in Japan).

[51] Two Prime Ministers of Japan, Fumimaro Konoe and Hayato Ikeda, attended Kyoto University:[52] Apart from these two, Osachi Hamaguchi, Kijūrō Shidehara, and Tetsu Katayama attended the Third Higher School before going on to study at UTokyo.