students walking in hall with U of M logo visible on wall

About Us

At the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, we seek new knowledge that can change how we all work and live. We prepare students to meet the great challenges facing our state, our nation, and our world. And we apply our expertise as students, faculty, and staff to engage with communities across Minnesota.

50,000+

Passionate students

25,000

dedicated faculty & staff

600,000+

Outstanding alumni

50,000+

Passionate students

25,000

dedicated faculty & staff

600,000+

Outstanding alumni

Location

The flagship of the University of Minnesota System, the Twin Cities campus is Minnesota’s only land-grant university and one of the most prestigious public research universities in the nation.

Founded in 1851 near Saint Anthony Falls on the banks of the Mississippi River, we are one of five universities in the nation with an engineering school, medical school, law school, veterinary medicine school, and agricultural school all on one campus. 

view of Bruinicks hall and Weisman museum on sunny day

Our Mission

The University of Minnesota System is driven by a singular vision of excellence. We are proud of our land-grant mission of world-class education, groundbreaking research, and community-engaged outreach, and we are unified in our drive to serve Minnesota.

student in science lab with bottles and equipment visible in foreground

Research

We seek new knowledge that can change how we all work and live. Students in all majors have the opportunity to participate in research alongside professors who are leaders in their fields.

Professor giving lecture in front of white boards with covered with equations

Education

We prepare students to meet the most complex challenges facing society today. Students engage with professors and fellow students from the very beginning, developing their strengths with beyond-the-classroom experiences.

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Outreach

We apply our expertise to meet the needs of Minnesota, our nation, and the world. We partner with communities across Minnesota to engage our students, faculty, and staff in addressing society's most pressing issues.

Who We Are

Professor and her robot

Innovative and Inspiring Faculty

Our 4,000 faculty members form the cornerstone of the Twin Cities campus. Faculty have won Guggenheim Fellowships, MacArthur Fellowships (“genius grants"), Nobel Prizes, and other honors and include members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and more.

Staff member at work and smiling in a storage or warehouse facility

Dedicated and Driven Staff

Our staff are known for being exceptionally dedicated—committed to the University of Minnesota's mission and to each other. While nationwide the average time spent with an employer is four years, employees stay at the U of M for an average of eight years. They stay because they know their work matters.

African-American female student working at desk in college office

Incredible Students

We provide students with the opportunities of a world-class research university while remaining affordable. Our commitment to student success begins with our outreach to prospective students and extends through recruitment, enrollment, orientation, academic advising, career services, graduation, and beyond.

medical professional explaining data on monitor to patient

Outstanding Alumni

The U of M Twin Cities counts more than 600,000 living alumni worldwide. Sixty-three percent of them live in Minnesota, and more than a third hold doctoral or master’s degrees. Our alumni include a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, former U.S. vice presidents, groundbreaking journalists, inventors, civil rights activists, and athletic greats. And our alumni are involved and connected.

A History of Education and Discovery

black and white image of two female student studying on steps in front of Northrop, appearing to be from the 1940s

Bringing people together in new ways, fostering discoveries, and making our world a better place is what we do at the University of Minnesota. And we’ve been doing it for more than 150 years.

Our world-class faculty are known for life-changing inventions such as the pacemaker, the retractable seat belt, cancer therapies, biodegradable plastics, and technologies that advance agricultural production.

An Indispensable Engine for Minnesota

The University of Minnesota contributes more than $8.6 billion a year in economic activity to the state. But the real “return on investment” for Minnesota lies in the excellence of our graduates, who use their skills and expertise to become our state's new leaders.

From U of M Extension offices and Research and Outreach Centers to community health clinics and testing sites for aquatic invasive species, our students, staff, and alumni are living in and contributing to communities in every corner of the state.

Today in Minnesota, more than 207,000 U of M graduates will go to work as health professionals, teachers, business analysts, designers, artists, architects, and engineers. We are Minnesota’s skilled workforce.

Accreditation

The University of Minnesota is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Learn more about the University of Minnesota's accreditation.