University of North Dakota

University of North Dakota is a public institution that was founded in 1883. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 11,724, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 548 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of North Dakota's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 168. Its in-state tuition and fees are $7,508 (2013-14); out-of-state tuition and fees are $17,794 (2013-14).

The University of North Dakota is located in the city of Grand Forks on the eastern edge of the state, just a few miles from the Minnesota border. Students at the University of North Dakota can study in more than 200 academic fields, including graduate programs in business, law, engineering and education. The University of North Dakota, which is often abbreviated to UND, also has a highly ranked rural medicine program in its School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Outside the classroom, students can join more than 200 campus clubs, get involved in Greek life and participate in student government. Student athletes can play at the intramural level or try out for North Dakota varsity sports teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I in various conferences. Notable UND alumni include Chuck Klosterman, author of several books including "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto," and Sally Smith, CEO of the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant franchise.

What do students and alumni say about UND? Here is just a sample: Great professors. Top-notch classes. Beautiful campus. A sense of family. Classic college town. Lots of majors. Grads get good jobs. Lifelong friends.

UND enrolls 15,143 students from every state, ten Canadian provinces, and more than 60 nations, and offers more than 220 fields of study, including bachelors, masters, doctoral, law, and medical degrees, as well as the MBA. Known for its programs in medicine, aerospace, nursing, engineering, business, the arts,unmanned aerial systems, and more, remains true to its 1883 original vision as a university with a strong liberal arts foundation surrounded by professional and specialized programs. UND is one of only 47 public universities in the nation with both accredited graduate schools of Law and Medicine. Globally respected faculty create a well-rounded, balanced education that fosters superior critical thinking and communication skills. It is located in Grand Forks, a classic college town of 53,000, just hours from Minneapolis and Winnipeg.

Community

UND's student-centered approach helps students succeed, with top-notch faculty, advisors, and student services. You can join one of nearly 300 student organizations, take part in service-oriented learning and internships, study abroad, conduct research with professors, and enjoy living and learning. One of the best Wellness Centers http://und.edu/health-wellness/wellness/index.cfm in the nation. UND has been named the third healthiest college in the United States by Greatist.com, a health and fitness web site promoting wellness by providing factual information that leads to healthier lifestyle choices. Division I athletics ( http://undsports.com/ ), including the finest collegiate hockey venue in the nation, and lots of activities help students stay engaged and active. The $11.5 million Education Building renovations, makes that facility one of the "greenest" on campus.

University of Hawaii--Manoa

University of Hawaii--Manoa is a public institution that was founded in 1907. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 14,499, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 320 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Hawaii--Manoa's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 168. Its in-state tuition and fees are $10,620 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $29,412 (2014-15).

The University of Hawaii—Manoa is located just outside downtown Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The school's academic departments include the School of Hawaiian Knowledge, the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, and the School of Pacific and Asian Studies. Outside of class, there are more than 200 student organizations to check out. UH Manoa's recreation center coordinates kayaking trips, sailing and surfing classes, snorkeling and hiking excursions and more. Most of the University of Hawaii—Manoa's athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference.

The school also offers a wide variety of graduate programs, including degrees through its highly ranked College of Education, the William S. Richardson School of Law, the Shidler College of Business and the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Notable alumni of the University of Hawaii—Manoa include oceanographer Robert Ballard, former Citigroup chairman Richard Parsons and President Barack Obama’s parents, Barack Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham Soetoro.

The University of Hawai`i at Manoa's special distinction is found in our Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific orientation and our unique location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The setting and the diversity of our students and faculty foster unique advantages in the study of Asian and Pacific cultures, foreign languages, tropical agriculture, tropical medicine, ocean and marine sciences, astronomy, volcanology, and international business.

Our unique geographical, cultural, and historical heritage suggests that the University of Hawai`i at Manoa values and the responsibilities inherent in embracing those values include the following:

A focus on developing an awareness of and sensitivity to diversity and commonality. The Manoa campus is culturally rich and complex, providing a perfect social setting for frequent interactions with persons from cultures other than one's own. At Manoa we incorporate and celebrate intercultural experiences and understanding into our social and educational environments in a comprehensive fashion. Manoa is also a place where historic political, economic and social conflicts between Native Hawaiian people, settlers and working immigrants have contributed to the diverse perspectives, beliefs, values and even conceptual frameworks of our islands' people. Growing out of the core Hawaiian value of aloha, an essential component of the Manoa Experience, are insights that both bond us and simultaneously express the variations that collectively enrich us.

A focus on global awareness and local responsibility. These values are consistent with a uniquely Hawaiian place of learning. Hawai`i is a place where the strength of identity is important to Native Hawaiian people struggling to maintain traditional connections while establishing new global relationships. Their struggle for cultural distinction forms a significant part of the story of human history and change. Hawai`i is also a place where the peoples from Asia, Europe, and the Pacific regions gathered, formed communities, and built lives together. The pluri-cultural children of Hawai`i are global citizens, a true pan-ethnic population. Hence, we attempt to  infuse our pedagogical, social, and cultural environments with a global perspective and with questions and issues of global significance. Moreover, engaging and acting upon local questions and issues during their educational experience at Manoa engenders in students a sense of responsibility toward future generations.

A focus on sustainability and renewability. These values are also a reflection of our unique Hawaiian cultural history, as voiced in the Hawaiian core value of malama i ka aina, malama i ke kai (caring for the land and sea that sustain us). The Hawaiian culture teaches us to see Manoa as part of an ahupua`a extending from mountaintop to ocean, emphasizing an ecosystem understanding of our home. Hawai`i's unique geographical status as the most isolated, populated land mass on the planet makes it incumbent upon us to develop research, technologies, economy, and a way of life based on sustainability and renewability, as Polynesians did over thousands of years of voyaging, discovery and settlement. Fostering a pedagogical, social, and cultural environment that reflects these values and the knowledge developed by Native Hawaiians over the millennia is central to our efforts. Cultivating, practicing, and communicating these values are our University's gifts and obligation to the rest of the world.

Andrews University

Andrews University is a private institution that was founded in 1874. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,905, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 300 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Andrews University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 168. Its tuition and fees are $26,262 (2014-15).

Andrews University educates its students for generous service to the church and to society in keeping with a faithful witness to Christ and to the worldwide mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, it is only fully accredited institution in the area offering more than 100 practical undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, education, technology, religion, arts and sciences, and architecture. It is a place for students to seek knowledge, affirm their faith, and change the world. Representative of the global community, Andrews' students, faculty, and staff come from over 90 countries.

University of La Verne

University of La Verne is a private institution that was founded in 1891. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,682, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 66 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. University of La Verne's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 166. Its tuition and fees are $36,744 (2014-15).

The University of La Verne offers a distinctive and relevant educational experience to a diverse population of traditional-age, adult, and graduate learners preparing them for successful careers and a commitment to life-long learning across the liberal arts and professional programs.

Core Values of the University of La Verne:

Ethical Reasoning - The University affirms a value system that actively supports peace with justice, respect of individuals and humanity and the health of the planet and its people. Students are reflective about personal, professional, and societal values that support professional and social responsibility.

Diversity and Inclusivity - The University supports a diverse and inclusive environment where students recognize and benefit from the life experiences and viewpoints of other students, faculty and staff.

Lifelong Learning - The University promotes intellectual curiosity and the importance of lifelong learning. It teaches students how to learn, to think critically, to be capable of original research, and to access and integrate information to prepare them for continued personal and professional growth.

Community and Civic Engagement - The University asserts a commitment to improving and enhancing local, regional and global communities. 

University of Idaho

University of Idaho is a public institution that was founded in 1889. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 9,456, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 1,450 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Idaho's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 166. Its in-state tuition and fees are $6,784 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $20,314 (2014-15).

University of Idaho is located in the northwestern part of the state, in the city of Moscow. Undergraduates at Idaho can choose from many majors within eight colleges, and graduate students can earn degrees in more than 80 master's programs, including business, law, engineering and education. Outside the classroom, students can join more than 200 organizations, play club-level or intramural sports or explore the city. Moscow is home to movie theaters, cafés, restaurants and the four-day Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.

Student athletes can try out for Idaho's silver-and-gold sports teams, which are called the Vandals, thanks to an old newspaper account of the 1917 basketball team vandalizing its opponents on the court. The Vandals mainly compete in the NCAA Division I Big Sky Conference. Notable Idaho alumni include Mark Felt, better known as Deep Throat, who was the source to reporters during the Watergate political scandal in the 1970s.

The University of Idaho is a high-research, land-grant institution committed to undergraduate and graduate research education with extension services responsive to Idaho and the region's business and community needs. Many students take advantage of an emphasis on undergraduate research opportunities in computer security, transportation innovations, environmental science, agricultural science, evolutionary biology, biomedical research and power applications to name a few. A U Idaho education is nationally ranked as a best buy for the quality and value and is one of the country's "most wired" universities. The University of Idaho offers a complete living and learning experience. The residential campus is located in the small, friendly community of Moscow, Idaho, and is surrounded by the rural beauty and outdoor recreational activities of North Idaho. There are many unexpected gems, like the four-day Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival each February. More than 12,000 students from around the nation and world attend the University of Idaho.

University of Wyoming

University of Wyoming is a public institution that was founded in 1886. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 10,117, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 790 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Wyoming's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 161. Its in-state tuition and fees are $4,646 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $14,876 (2014-15).

The University of Wyoming campus is situated between two mountain ranges in the southeast corner of the state, in the town of Laramie. The university, often abbreviated to UW, offers nearly 200 areas of study, including graduate programs in the fields of business, law, engineering and education. UW students can also earn academic credit by taking classes in the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Through this program, students can explore many interesting places and activities in courses such as Alaska Mountaineering, Himalaya Backpacking and Baja Sea Kayaking.

On campus, students can get involved in more than 200 organizations and participate in events such as Battle of the Bands and UW's Got Talent. Student athletes can play for many teams at the intramural, club and varsity level. The Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls intercollegiate teams compete in the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference. Notable UW alumni include Dick Cheney, former vice president of the United States.

The University of Wyoming is the state's only provider of baccalaureate graduate education, research, and outreach services. UW combines major-university benefits and small-school advantages, with more than 180 programs of study, an outstanding faculty and world-class research facilities -- set against the idyllic backdrop of southeastern Wyoming's rugged mountains and high plains. Among UW's features is its School of Energy Resources (SER), which provides nationally-competitive undergraduate and graduate instruction in energy-related disciplines while advancing the state of the art in Wyoming energy-related science, technology, and economics research. The SER also serves to support scientific and engineering outreach through dissemination of information to Wyoming's energy industries, companies, community colleges, and government agencies. The main campus is located in Laramie, approximately two hours north of Denver. The university also maintains the UW/Casper College Center, nine outreach education centers across Wyoming, and Cooperative Extension Service centers in each of the state's 23 counties, and on the Wind River Indian Reservation. To learn more about UW, go to the official Web site at www.uwyo.edu.

University of South Florida

University of South Florida is a public institution that was founded in 1956. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 31,100, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 1,562 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of South Florida's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 161. Its in-state tuition and fees are $6,410 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $17,325 (2014-15).

The University of South Florida, or USF, as it’s commonly known, is a research institution with multiple campuses throughout the state. The public university is based in Tampa and has regional campuses in Sarasota and St. Petersburg. First-year students are required to live on campus, unless they commute from one of several nearby counties, are older than 21 or are married, among other exemptions. For students who do not live on campus, the school organizes a Commuter Student Network and offers bus transportation for students who drive to school and park in remote lots. On campus, there are more than 400 student organizations to check out, as well as a large Greek community. Any activity that students get involved in may be added to their co-curricular transcripts – official documents the school offers to help students showcase their extracurricular involvement and specialized skills to future employers. The USF Bulls athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I American Athletic Conference.  

For graduate students, the school offers degree programs through the USF College of Medicine, a graduate school of engineering, a College of Education and other departments. Notable alumni of the University of South Florida include journalist Richard Oppel, former editor of the Austin American-Statesman and Charlotte Observer, and Kimberly Ross, executive vice president and chief financial officer of global cosmetics company Avon.

The University of South Florida is a high-impact, global research university located in beautiful Tampa Bay on Florida's spectacular west coast. It is one of the largest public universities in the nation, and among the top 50 universities, public or private, for federal research expenditures. The university is one of only four Florida public universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities, a distinction attained by only 2.3 percent of all universities.

At the heart of USF is a vibrant, diverse and engaged student body. Serving nearly 48,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. The USF System includes three separately accredited institutions by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: USF; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. The university's main Tampa location is home to USF Health, including the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy.

With over 240 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialty and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine, there's something for everyone at USF. The university offers a dynamic learning environment that inspires innovation, creativity and collaboration and is focused on student success. More than 2,000 distinguished scholars, researchers and expert teachers, nearly all holding PhDs or the highest degrees in their fields, make up the USF faculty including the 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year.

USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference, with 17 men's and women's varsity teams competing at the NCAA-level. New facilities for practice and competition, along with a completely renovated USF Sun Dome, put the university's athletic facilities on par with virtually every top program in the country.

University of Rhode Island

University of Rhode Island is a public institution that was founded in 1892. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 13,354, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 1,245 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Rhode Island's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 161. Its in-state tuition and fees are $12,506 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $28,072 (2014-15).

The main campus of the University of Rhode Island is located in the village of Kingston, with three smaller campuses in various parts of the state. The university began as an agricultural school, and a renovated farmhouse has stood on the Kingston campus for more than a century. Now, URI offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and many master's programs as well, including those in the School of Education, the College of Business Administration and College of Engineering.

Outside the classroom, students can get involved in more than 100 campus organizations or pledge one of the roughly 20 fraternities and sororities. URI students can also leave campus and make a short trip to the beach or to the state capital of Providence. Student athletes can play at the recreational, club or varsity level. Most of the nearly 20 URI Rams sports teams compete in the NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 Conference, cheered on by their mascot Rhody. Notable URI alumni include oceanographer Robert Ballard, who discovered the sunken Titanic, and journalist Christiane Amanpour.

We are the largest university in the nation's smallest state, but with over 13,000 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students, URI is small enough to be friendly, intimate, safe, and student-centered. Our students come from most states in the U.S. and dozens of countries all over the world. More than 100 undergraduate and 80 graduate degree programs, plus more than 100 student clubs and activities spark creativity and inspire our students' pioneering spirit. Perfectly located six miles from Rhodes Island's coastal beaches and easy driving distances from Providence, Boston, and New York, our picturesque rural setting is close enough to big-city culture to make anyone feel at home.

University of Louisville

University of Louisville is a public institution that was founded in 1798. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 15,957, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 345 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Louisville's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 161. Its in-state tuition and fees are $10,432 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $24,320 (2014-15).

The University of Louisville is located in Kentucky on the banks of the Ohio River, about 100 miles from both Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Students at U of L, as it is known, can major in more than 170 areas of study, including master's programs in the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law and in the fields of business and medicine. Outside the classroom, University of Louisville students can join more than 400 campus organizations, pledge with about 30 fraternities and sororities and play intramural sports. More serious athletes can try out for the Louisville Cardinals varsity teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference.

On campus, U of L students can also check out the art museum, planetarium and Auguste Rodin's original sculpture of The Thinker. In the city of Louisville, U of L students can go to the zoo, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and the famous Kentucky Derby horse race. Notable University of Louisville alumni include radio journalist Bob Edwards and the late Frank Neuhauser, who won the first National Spelling Bee in 1925 when he successfully spelled the word "gladiolus."

The University of Louisville is intent on becoming a premier metropolitan research university, known for improving the lives of the citizens of Louisville and Kentucky.

Ranked among America's top 12 "good neighbors" in a survey by the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, UofL emphasis the Signature Partnership initiative, a program designed to enhance the quality of life and economic opportunity for individuals and families who live in Louisville's urban core. The goal is to work with various community partners to improve their educational, health, economic and social status. Working closely with community residents, the Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville Metro Government, Metro United Way, the Urban League, faith-based organizations and many others, the university has coordinated and enhanced existing programs and launched new programs designed to eliminate or reduce disparities in that area. UofL is drawing upon the expertise and energy of every school and college to deal with the quality of life issues affecting the community. UofL also serves as an economic engine for Louisville. An independent study showed that between 2003 and 2009 UofL-related investments resulted in the creation of 9,764 jobs - or about 40 percent of the new net jobs created in Kentucky during that time. UofL activities also added $1.7 billion to the commonwealth's economic output. The university's strategy includes taking underperforming assets and finding ways to help them reach their economic potential. This tactic is important for the university's economic well-being in a period when Kentucky has cut funding to state universities 14 times in 14 years. A significant portion of UofL's Shelby Campus is being developed into the Shelbyhurst Office and Research Park. The first building has been completed and is 100 percent occupied; a second building is under construction. Revenue generated from ShelbyHurst Office and Research Park will support UofL's academic and research missions. UofL also is developing property in downtown Louisville at its Health Sciences campus and has acquired property adjacent to its Belknap Campus. That property will be home to the Belknap Engineering and Applied Science Research Park. The park will include the Institute for Product Realization and Innovation a collaboration between industry and UofL to quickly create innovative products and test them in the marketplace. While that development is in the planning stages, a development in downtown Louisville is under way. NUCLEUS, Kentucky's Life Science and Innovation Center, provides business management and consulting services to support entrepreneurs engaged in life sciences. When it is completed, the research complex will house multiple facilities in close proximity to expedite collaboration and shared expertise among researchers and companies. In addition to the support UofL provides the commonwealth for improving infrastructure, UofL also started the Cardinal Covenant program - the first program of its kind in Kentucky - to help low-income families fund a college education. Students leave the program debt free and with a college education - ready to enter Kentucky's workforce. More than 300 students are currently in the program, and more than a third of those have a gpa of 3.0 or higher. Helping students reach their potential takes many forms of support. Over the past decade, incoming UofL students have been increasingly better prepared than those who have come before them. Starting in 2000, the university created an office to help them apply for national and international teaching and research scholarships. The office has been so successful in identifying excellent scholars that UofL students and graduates received 75 Fulbright scholarships between 2003 and 2013, ranking UofL among the top-producing universities in the nation. Since 2009, UofL students also have captured prestigious Rhodes, Truman and Goldwater scholarships, among others.

Biola University

Biola University is a private institution that was founded in 1908. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,353, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 95 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Biola University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 161. Its tuition and fees are $33,322 (2014-15).

As one of leading Christian universities in the nation, Biola University offers students a premier educational experience to prepare them for lives of impact and influence. Located near Los Angeles in sunny Southern California, Biola is recognized for its prestigious Torrey Honors Institute, its wide range of innovative degree programs, and its unique requirement that all undergraduate students take 30 units of Bible and theology classes. Founded in 1908, the mission of the university is biblically centered education, scholarship and service, equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.