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The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (NCU) was founded in 1945. It is one of the largest universities in Poland, currently comprising 17 faculties (including 3 medical faculties at Collegium Medicum UMK in Bydgoszcz). It provides graduate and postgraduate courses for almost 25 000 students, offering education in over 100 fields of study and 65 postgraduate courses. The university employs 4039 staff on both Toruń and Bydgoszcz campuses, over half of whom are academic teachers. NCU alumni now number around 200 000. The university participates in student and staff exchange programs at both international (the Erasmus+ program) and national (the MOST program) levels. It develops studies in cooperation with universities abroad and is currently collaborating with the universities in Anger (economics) and Moscow (history). NCU has state-of-the-art research infrastructure including the National Laboratory of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (FAMO), the Center for Quantum Optics, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Modern Technologies to name but a few, as well as modern teaching facilities comprising, among others, Collegium Humanisticum and the brand new University Sports Centre. The Centre for Astronomy in Piwnice near Toruń houses a unique 32-meter radio telescope. Spitsbergen (in the Arctic Sea) is home to NCU Polar Station. The university has also organized the Polish Historical Mission at the University of Würzburg. NCU researchers can boast several spectacular successes which include, among others, the design and construction of an Optical Coherence Tomography instrument, an ultra-modern device for medical eye examinations. The University Library holds an imposing collection of nearly 3 million printed volumes, periodicals, and special collection items. NCU campus hosts the Academic Centre for Arts and Culture ‘Od Nowa’, one of the oldest students’ clubs in Poland. This has contributed to the Nicolaus Copernicus University’s position as one of the five best universities in Poland and it is also the reason why QS World University Ranking has placed NCU in the top 4% of universities in the world. The University Library was officially established in September 1945, a fortnight after the establishment of NCU. Apart from 1000,000 books and almost 500,000 periodicals and regular publications, the Library has some 500,000 special items including 48,000 old prints (213 incunabula) and 4,100 manuscripts. It also has valuable collections of drawings, charts, musical scores, and other documents of social life. The total number of items amounts to over 2.5 million and places the University Library in Toruń amongst the largest in Poland. The collection of old books contains many scientific and literary works, including a collection of all the editions of the works of the University's patron Nicolaus Copernicus. Among others, it has the first and third edition of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. University Sports Centre provides students with a wide range of sports activities such as basketball, volleyball, aerobics, yoga, steam gym, swimming, judo, aikido, and cycling. Students may also play tennis at NCU Tennis courts or attend horse riding lessons. It is important to notice that the number of students admitted to each class is limited and that priority is given to those who have PE (Physical Education) obligatory in their curriculum. The Od Nowa Club is the most well-known students' club in Toruń. It is the organizer of almost all student cultural events. Various musical concerts take place there, including weekly jazz meetings. Od Nowa often features well-known popular performers, including foreign bands, representing various musical styles. It also houses Gallery 011 where students of Fine Arts present their works. View full university