The university is managed by the Council, the Senate and the Rector.

In 2019, the modernisation of the laws in the field of higher education took place as a part of which the Tallinn University Act entered into force on 1 September 2019. The most important change resulting from the act was the reform of the university´s management structure. In place of the previous two management bodies (the Senate and the Rector), the university now has three: the Council, the Senate and the Rector. Management bodies have different competences in the management of the university, including in the adoption of legal acts. To strengthen the university’s connection with the society, the Council includes non-university members, who currently make up over half of the Council. The new management model provides broader input and greater involvement when making management decisions.
The new management model came into full effect on 1 January 2020.

The Council is the management body of the university responsible for the university´s long-term and sustainable development, as well as for making important economic, financial and assets-related decisions, ensuring the achievement of the university`s goals.

The Senate is the academic decision-making body of the university which is responsible for the research, development, creative and teaching activities of the university and ensures the high quality thereof.

The Rector   is in charge of the general state of the university and its development, the implementation of the budget and the legal and purposeful use of financial resources, as well as deciding on matters concerning the university’s activities that are not within the competence of the Council or the Senate. The Rector is accountable to the Council and the Senate. The Rector is elected by the electoral body, which includes all the members of the Council and Senate, regular professors of the university and student representatives elected by the Student Council.

The academic units are managed by the council of the unit and the director. The competence and bases of activities of the governing bodies of each academic unit are provided in the unit’s statutes, which are established by the Senate. The Director manages the activities of the academic unit, is responsible for the effectiveness of the unit’s teaching, research, development and creative activities, as well as the general condition and sustainability of the unit.