Humboldt's ideal of the coexistence of research and teaching has become a model for universities all over the world. Central to this model is the idea of research-oriented teaching and the transfer of knowledge from the spirit of research. Students and teachers are joined together in an endeavour to critically examine traditional bodies of knowledge and to actively advance learning. For this reason, the Humboldt-Universität promotes social and communicative competences among all of its members and supports their initiatives wherever it can.

Since its foundation, Humboldt-Universität has been a universitas litterarum embracing all major scientific disciplines in the humanities and arts, social and cultural sciences, mathematics and natural sciences, medicine and agricultural sciences. The profile of Humboldt research is reflected in Clusters of Excellence, ten DFG Collaborative Research Centers and in 13 Research Training Groups in which Humboldt-Universität has the coordinating function.