The head of the university is the rector, who is assisted by three vice-rectors in the exercise of his duties; all four together form the institution's high authority.

It is currently coordinating and participating in European Union programs and activities such as ERASMUS, LINGUA, and TEMPUS and has important links and cooperations with other Mediterranean and Eastern European countries as well as with many American universities and colleges, through international programmes.

[6][7][8] The emblem of the University of Crete is based on a Hellenistic coin found in Gortyn (430–300 BC) and depicts Europa in reflective stance while sitting on olive tree branches.

[10] Its two campuses are located near two towns on the north coast of the island, Galos in Rethymno and Voutes in Heraklion.

[11][12] (Heraklion) (http://www.english.med.uoc.gr/) The University of Crete is well known both nationally and internationally for its state-of-the-art research and graduate programmes.

[48][49] According to the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings,[38] University of Crete has held the top position nationally since 2023, ranking first in the fields of Medicine and Dentistry, Psychology, Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, General engineering, Geology, Environmental, Earth & Marine sciences, Education, Language, Literature & Linguistics, Sociology, Politics & International studies, Archaeology, History, Philosophy & Theology, and ranking only second in Mathematics & Statistics, Biological sciences, Computer science, Economics & Econometrics, and Business & Management.