Western University is a private, non-profit educational institution based in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan. Founded in 1991, it has become one of the leading universities in Azerbaijan. It has a well-established reputation in the academic sector and provides a vast range of departments for serious–minded students. The requirements to enter the University are among the highest among non-state universities. Western University was founded with the purpose to create an educational institution which would contribute to the economic, social and political development of Azerbaijan through teaching students to become specialists who would satisfy the needs of the Republic during and after its economic transition.