It was established as the State University of Tirana (SUT) in 1957 through merging of five existing institutes of higher education.

It is situated at the Mother Teresa Square, south of the city center of Tirana.

The University of Tirana was founded in 1957 as the State University of Tirana (Albanian: Universiteti Shtetëror i Tiranës), through the merging of five existing institutes of higher education, the most important of which was the Institute of Sciences, founded in 1947.

Most programs are offered in Tirana; a few smaller affiliated campuses are located in other Albanian cities, including Saranda in the southern part of the country and Kukës in the north.

It offers three-year Bachelor, one- or two-year Master, and three- to five-year doctorate degree programs, in accordance with the Bologna system.