Jimma University is one of Ethiopia's most respected public universities, consistently ranked at the top of the national system for research and teaching quality. Its 167-hectare campus spreads across the eastern side of the city and is worth a wander even for visitors with no academic connection — the grounds are green and spacious, and the older colonial-era buildings at the campus core have architectural interest.
The university's College of Public Health and Medical Sciences is particularly well regarded, and its teaching hospital on campus is among the oldest public medical institutions in the country. The university maintains twelve research facilities and publishes the Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences. The campus has a student population of over 43,000, which gives the city a significant young and educated population — Jimma feels more cosmopolitan than its size and location might suggest. The campus coffee shop is one of the better places in the city to sit with a cup of coffee and watch the world go by.