Helwan University was established based on the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 70 on July 26, 1975, to become the third public university in Greater Cairo.

However, the historical roots of many of the university's faculties go back much earlier than that, as some of them date back to the 1830s, such as the Faculty of Applied Arts, and others to the early 1930s, such as the Faculties of Fine Arts, Art Education, Music Education, Home Economics, Physical Education for Girls, and Physical Education for Boys, which represent the mother faculties in their fields of specialization at the level of Egypt and the Arab world.

Continuing to establish the latest faculties of Helwan University by the end of 2020 under the name of the Faculty of Nutrition Sciences, the total number of faculties and institutes at Helwan University becomes twenty-five faculties and institutes, as shown in Table No. (1). The main headquarters of Helwan University is located 25 km south of Cairo in the Ain Helwan area, where the university campus in Ain Helwan includes twelve faculties and institutes, namely (Social Service, Commerce and Business Administration, Science, Education, Arts, Computers and Artificial Intelligence, Law, Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Technical Institute of Nursing, Graduate Studies and Interdisciplinary Research),

As for the rest of the faculties and institutes, they are located outside the university campus and distributed across the governorates of Cairo and Giza and include the faculties of (Applied Arts, Fine Arts, Art Education, Music Education, Home Economics, Physical Education for Girls, Physical Education for Boys, Engineering in Matariya, Engineering in Helwan, Tourism and Hotels, Technology and Education, National Institute of Intellectual Property, Nutrition Sciences). Helwan University is considered one of the integrated and comprehensive universities, as it includes a group of colleges and institutes with clear diversity and distinction in various fields of arts, literature, basic and social sciences.

Helwan University is one of the Egyptian public universities that occupies a prestigious position in the field of higher education and scientific research. We seek to:

Provide high-quality academic programs, governed by local and international standards; to prepare a distinguished graduate capable of competition and innovation, meeting the needs of society, and contributing to its development and well-being.
Provide programs to raise the efficiency of faculty members, and develop their educational and research capabilities; so that this is positively reflected on both the student and the local and national environment.
Advance scientific research at the university and technical development to serve various sectors in society.
Achieve continuous education, increase cooperation and establish fruitful partnerships with international educational institutions to enable our students to develop in line with the economic, cultural and social development in society.
Achieve education and effective participation in serving society, building its culture and developing its environment, and pushing its production sectors to compete locally, regionally and globally.
Maximize the role of the university as an enlightening center in society that contributes to our youth's alignment with Arab, African and Islamic thought, while celebrating the Egyptian identity and belonging to it.
Contributing effectively to preparing a generation of distinguished young people scientifically, culturally and morally to be able to compete and keep pace with the rapid developments in various fields of work. Investing in modern technology in university management, integrating the concepts and mechanisms of continuous development and comprehensive quality into its organizational structure, as well as organized work to provide a model to be followed in other organizations and sectors of society.