The university has been associated with three Nobel laureates: Albrecht Kossel, Karl von Frisch and Otto Stern.

In the course of political struggles and due to pressure from the church, the university moved to Greifswald in 1437 and remained there until 1443.

In the 16th century, Rostock was the first university to teach Copernicanism, which was introduced by Professor Duncan Liddel.

After the "ownership" of the university had moved from the city to the state (Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin) in 1827, however, things changed for the better.

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the university, Albert Einstein and Max Planck received honorary doctorates on 12 November 1919.

This made the University of Rostock the world's first institute of higher learning to award this honour to Einstein.

Psychologist David Katz and professor of dentistry and dean of the medical faculty Hans Moral [de] lost their posts in 1933 among others.

The university, now finding itself in the Soviet Zone of Germany (the later German Democratic Republic), was re-opened on 24 February 1946.

In 1976 the university was renamed Wilhelm-Pieck-Universität after Wilhelm Pieck, the first president of the German Democratic Republic.

The numbers of young people from Germany and of international students who choose Rostock as a place to study are increasing every year.

In 2007, the University of Rostock reorganized its research capacities into three profile lines: Life, Light & Matter, Maritime Systems, and Aging of Individuals and Societies.

[11] In the Patents and Standards Centre (PNZ), all DIN norms and regulations as well as the VDI guidelines are provided.

[16] On the other hand, the 2023 ARWU World rankings place the institution in the 501-600 category globally and 32-36th at the national level.