The University of Thessaly was founded in 1984 (together with the University of the Aegean and the Ionian University) by Presidential Decree 83/1984 (Government Gazette 31/issue 1st/20-3-1984), which was amended in 1985 by Presidential Decree 302/1985 (Government Gazette 113/issue 1st/31-5-1985). The seat of the University of Thessaly is Volos. After the merger with the Technical and Technological Educational Institutions of Thessaly and Sterea, the new University of Thessaly has 8 faculties and 37 departments and is the 3rd largest university in the country.