UNIS is the world's northernmost university, and its presence gives Longyearbyen a distinctly academic flavour. Around 500 students study Arctic biology, geology, geophysics, and technology here each year, drawn by the unique research environment: permafrost, sea ice, glaciers, and polar ecology all within walking distance of campus.
The building itself is modern and functional — not a sight in the architectural sense — but the visitor centre has display material on Arctic research, and the facility sits alongside the Svalbard Museum, making a logical double visit. UNIS researchers are often encountered in the local bars and restaurants; the institution keeps Longyearbyen intellectually alive in a way unusual for a town this size and this remote.