School University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Lincoln - NE

For 140 Years, a Leader in Higher Education

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln, chartered in 1869, is an educational institution of international stature. A member of the Association of American Universities since 1909, Nebraska is recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral/Research Extensive university. UNL is a land-grant university and a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. UNL celebrated the 140th anniversary of its founding on Feb. 15, 2009.

Always a place of high ambition, this was the first institution west of the Mississippi River to award doctoral degrees — the first was granted, in physics, in 1896. The University of Nebraska established the world's first undergraduate psychology laboratory. The discipline of ecology was born here, and the campuses reflect that tradition, being recognized as botanical gardens and arboreta. An early institutional interest in literature and the arts provided the foundations for today's Prairie Schooner literary magazine, for the University of Nebraska Press, and for the Sheldon Museum of Art, which houses one of the world's most significant collections of 20th century American art.

Today, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is one of the nation's leading teaching institutions, and a research leader with a wide array of grant-funded projects aimed at broadening knowledge in the sciences and humanities.

In Fall 2009, for the sixth-straight year, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has made U.S. News and World Report's annual evaluation of America's Best Colleges' Top 50 list of Public National Universities. UNL is ranked near the top third of all national universities both public and private, (96th out of 262), and is tied with four other universities as 43rd in the "Top 50" list for public national universities. This places UNL among the top one-fourth of all public universities.


Excellence in Undergraduate Education

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a research-extensive institution with an extraordinary focus on Undergraduate Education. Our undergraduates learn from faculty who create new knowledge, who are leading scientists and scholars, and who care about students’ success. Several signature programs exemplify this commitment to undergraduate success. The Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences Program (UCARE) connects faculty and students who work collaboratively on independent study projects that advance new knowledge. The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management develops leaders for this era of expanding information technology and business globalization. Students are selected for this innovative program based on high academic achievement, outstanding leadership experience, demonstrated interest in computer science and business, and career goals. The program provides an education balanced in technology and management while developing professional skills in leadership, communications and collaboration. The Nebraska Colloquium engages the entire academic community in a yearlong discussion on a topic of importance. The Nebraska Colloquium raises the level of intellectual discourse among UNL students, faculty and staff under the framework of a campuswide theme that serves as an organizing mechanism for unit activities and events that contribute to the theme. The University Honors Program hosts Honors Forum talks to complement the 20-year-old E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues.