The University of Western Macedonia was founded in Kozani in 2003. In 2015, after the first elections for a Rector, the University of Western Macedonia became a self-governing institution, and ran courses in 2 cities, Kozani and Florina, with 3 Schools (Education, Engineering and Fine Arts) and 6 Departments. In 2019, the University of Western Macedonia was merged with the Technological Education Institute of Western Macedonia. The TEI of Western Macedonia, originally founded as Technological Educational Institute of Kozani (1983) in replacement of the Center for Higher Technical-Vocational Education of Kozani, ran courses in 5 Schools and 11 Departments in 5 cities in Western. The new University of Western Macedonia runs 7 Schools and 21 Departments in 5 cities (Kozani, Florina, Kastoria, Ptolemaida, and Grevena). The central campus is located in Kozani, Kila region.