Universität Hamburg is international and cosmopolitan, qualities integral to being what we call the "gateway to the world of science." Universität Hamburg explicitly sees itself as part of Hamburg, a harbor city which in turn sees itself, both politically and culturally, as a "gateway to the world."  In all of its scientific and scholarly pursuits, the University upholds the city's long-standing tradition of openness, tolerance, and international cooperation and universality. Universität Hamburg’s internationalization strategy (PDF) , which was developed in the wake of the internationalization audit, sets forth the University’s areas of focus in, as well as its goals for internationalization.

For this reason, the University cooperates with numerous international universities and welcomes international students and academics to Hamburg. The University is also a member of several international higher education organizations and has signed the Magna Charta Universitatum, the Erasmus agreement and the Code of Conduct.