The University of Guilan is a major institute of higher education located in Rasht, a large city bordering the Caspian Sea, in the province of Gilan, in northern Iran. The University is said to be the largest educational institution of the northern Iran among the provinces of Mazandaran, Golestan and Qazvin. Also from the structural viewpoint, it is one of the largest universities in the northern parts of Iran and currently has more than 12,000 students enrolled. The university was established in 1974 as a collaborative effort between Iran and West Germany. At first, the university was just commenced with 170 students and 10 members of faculty by offering courses such as German Literature and Civil Engineering The university offers degrees in 55 fields for bachelors, 35 fields for masters, and 7 fields for PhD studies. It is the largest university in the province. The institute has an active department in Caspian studies. Caspain Journal of Environmental Sciences is published semi-annually as official publication of AUCRS (Association of Universities of Caspian Region States), which is published by University of Guilan, Iran.