All over the world, universities are more numerous than ever before, yet there is unprecedented confusion about their purpose and skepticism about their value. What Are Universities For? offers a vivid and compelling argument for a complete reconsideration of the way we view universities and why we need them. Stefan Collini challenges the common view that universities must prove they help generate money to justify receiving more money. Instead, he argues that we need to consider the different types of institutions and the distinct roles they play. In particular, we must recognize that the effort to extend human understanding, which is at the heart of disciplined intellectual inquiry, can never be fully constrained by immediate social purposes—especially in the case of the humanities, which attract and confuse many people and are therefore the most difficult subjects to justify. At a time when the future of higher education is at risk, What Are Universities For? offers all of us a better, deeper, and more enlightened understanding of why universities matter, for everyone.