The University of Dar es salaam is the oldest and biggest public university in Tanzania

The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is a public university in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London.

The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa (UEA) in 1963, shortly after Tanzania gained its independence from the United Kingdom. In 1970, UEA split into three independent universities: Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and the University of Dar es Salaam.

The university has five campuses in and around the city of Dar es Salaam and operates academically through ten faculties, some of which are exclusive to specific campuses.

For example, the College of Engineering and Technology campus houses the faculties of mechanical and chemical engineering, electrical and computer systems engineering, and civil engineering and the built environment.

The faculty of humanities and social sciences is active in the Mkwawa University College of Education campus and also in the Dar es Salaam University College of Education.

The main campus, called Mlimani (meaning “on the hill” in Swahili), is located 13 kilometers west of Dar es Salaam city center and is home to the basic faculties of education, arts and social science, and science.

In addition, four specialist faculties; informatics and virtual education, law, commerce and management, and aquatic science and technology have been established there. The Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication provides the university with its fifth campus.

Nkrumah Hall, a building on the Mlimani campus, is featured on the back of the Tanzanian 500 shilling bill.

Notable people who studied at the University of Dar es Salaam include the following;

• Francis K. Butagira, Ugandan diplomat
• Zakia Hamdani Meghji, former Minister of Finance Tanzania,
• John Garang, former Vice President of Sudan
• Laurent-Désiré Kabila, former President of DRC, Yoweri Museveni
• President of Uganda among others.

See Undergraduate courses offered at the University of Dar es Salaam