The Nicolaus Copernicus University was established in 1945 in Toruń, Poland. It now comprises 16 faculties (including three medical faculties in the Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz). The NCU currently educates nearly 20,000 students, PhD students and postgraduate students, and employs nearly 4,400 staff, of whom 2,364 are academic lecturers. The educational offer includes over 100 fields of study. The University provides a modern research and teaching infrastructure. In 2019, the Nicolaus Copernicus University obtained the status of a research university. As the only university from Poland and one of ten European universities, the NCU is a member of the Young Universities for Future of Europe consortium (YUFE).