UNSRAT was established in 1961 and until now has opened 11 faculties with 47 undergraduate, and 27 post-graduate programs consisting of Masters, Doctorate and Specialist levels. The number of students last year was 19,473 students which come from inside and outside North Sulawesi province. Currently the number of lecturers with doctorate qualifications has reached 40%, and those who have professional status (including professors) by 65%, and will continue to grow. Also, UNSRAT has been involved in various collaborations between universities, either inside or outside Indonesia. In the field of technology-based education (e-Learning), UNSRAT actively participates in SOI (School on Internet) Asia project with Keio University, Japan, and a number of universities across South East Asia since 2001.

In the domestic scope, UNSRAT has been involved in the 7-in-1 Project funded by IDB (Islamic Development Bank) where one of the key activities is to develop e-learning activities among 7 universities in Indonesia. UNSRAT’s plays an important role to contribute to the government programs in alleviating poverty especially to the people who live in the small and outer islands in North Sulawesi province. Poverty is a challenges for the people who live in this area due to the lack of basic needs, infrastructures, and access to health services and education. In 2012 UNSRAT has been appointed by the government to become a partner university to develop the people in the small and outer islands through a number of sectors such as fishery, maritime and economy.