The University of Otago is New Zealand's first university, founded in 1869. Otago has earned an international reputation for the quality of its research and teaching and is one of those rare universities in the world where the main activity of its host city, Dunedin, is education.

Otago was ranked as 79th best university in the world by the Times Higher Education Supplement 2006. It is one of only two universities in New Zealand to be ranked in the top 200. Otago was also ranked the top equal New Zealand University in the 2006 Shanghai Jiaotong University World University Rankings.

Home to 17,000 students (of which approx. 1,600 students enroll for the Summer School Program),  Otago is renowned for its vibrant campus lifestyle.