The University (UWM) was founded on 1 September 1999. The establishment resulted from merging three institutions of higher education in Olsztyn: the Academy of Agriculture and Technology, the Higher School of Pedagogy, and Warmian Theological Institute. UWM has been developing intensively almost from the day it was founded. Its didactic and scientific base has significantly increased. The University purchased modern equipment for laboratories and workshops. For this purpose UWM used considerable funds from the EU. Currently, the University structure consists of 15 faculties, the School of Public Health and the Branch Office in Ełk. There is about 18 thousand students, including about 17 thousand on full-time studies and 600 PhD students and about 1 thousand people on postgraduate studies.