It is the first university opened in North Yemen (before unification). It currently includes more than 124 specializations and scientific departments in which at least eighty thousand students, both male and female, study. The university is entrusted with the task of preparing qualified and trained cadres who contribute to the development process in various fields. The university began with limited specializations, but the development it witnessed reflected its role in meeting the requirements of society, through the expansion of colleges and specializations until it included many theoretical and applied study programs. In addition, a number of academic and specialized centers were established. Due to the importance of the university’s role, many subsidiary colleges were established in several governorates, some of which became independent universities. The University of Sana'a now consists of twenty-two colleges, twelve of which are located in the main center in Sana'a and ten subsidiary colleges. The university did not stop at the stage of granting the first university degree, but rather began in the early 1980s by granting higher university degrees, starting with postgraduate diplomas, and then granting master’s and doctoral degrees in many specializations from most colleges.