Closed in 1798 by order of the then French administration in Trier, the university was re-established in 1970 after a hiatus of some 172 years.

The new university campus is located on top of the Tarforst heights, an urban district on the outskirts of the city.

In 1455 Pope Nicholas V granted the Archbishop of Trier, Jakob I. von Sierck [de], the right to establish a university.

There is also a Faculty of (Roman Catholic) Theology, affiliated to the university but administratively independent.

The SPD, the governing party in Rhineland-Palatinate, does not plan to introduce tuition fees.