University of Washington

University of Washington is a public institution that was founded in 1861. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 29,754, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 703 acres. It utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar. University of Washington's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 48. Its in-state tuition and fees are $12,394 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $33,513 (2014-15).

Located in the University District neighborhood (known as the U District) just north of downtown Seattle, the University of Washington is a cutting-edge research university with a long-standing history as one of the oldest public institutions on the West Coast. Students can join one of the school’s 500-plus student organizations, including about 50 sororities and fraternities, or can start a brand new club with at least four other students. University of Washington is known as a commuter school, and freshmen are not required to live on campus. Housing is not guaranteed for any student. For those that do reside in the residence halls, the university stresses “living green” through energy conservation and recycling. On the sports fields, the school’s varsity athletes are competitive in the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference. The football team, in particular, is a traditional league stand-out. The teams are represented by two mascots: one, a costumed student known as Harry the Husky Dawg, and the other, Dubs, a live Alaskan husky. The university gym is free for students seeking a workout.

The University of Washington receives a hefty amount of federal funding each year to further its mission as a public research institution. True to its roots in research, the school hosts an Undergraduate Research Symposium every year for students to present their work to the community. The school has a highly ranked School of Medicine, College of Engineering and Michael G. Foster School of Business. Nearly three fourths of University of Washington graduates remain in the state. Notable alumni include Thomas Foley, former U.S. Speaker of the House; Chris DeWolfe, co-creator of MySpace; and Irv Robbins, co-founder and namesake of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream chain.c

The University of Washington educates a diverse student body to become responsible global citizens and future leaders through a challenging learning environment informed by cutting-edge scholarship. Discovery is at the heart of our university. We discover timely solutions to the world???s most complex problems and enrich the lives of people throughout our community, the state of Washington, the nation and the world.

The University of Washington???s vision and strategic priorities reflect the core values and culture that make us great and unique.

- UW STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE: We recruit the best, most diverse and innovative faculty and staff from around the world, encouraging a vibrant intellectual community for our students. We link academic excellence to cutting-edge research through scholarly exploration and intellectual rigor. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics, as a beacon for our community and the world.

- ACADEMIC COMMUNITY: We are educators and learners. We promote access to excellence and strive to inspire through education that emphasizes the power of discovery and the foundation of critical and analytic thinking. We foster creativity, challenge the boundaries of knowledge and cultivate independence of mind through unique interdisciplinary partnerships.

- WORLD LEADERS IN RESEARCH: We have grown into the most successful public research university in the nation in attracting support for our research. Ours is a proud culture of innovation, collaboration and discovery that has transformational impact.

- CELEBRATING PLACE: The natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest envelops us. This is an important element of who we are, for this awe-inspiring place not only anchors us, it reaffirms our desire to effect positive change in the world around us. We accept gratefully our role in preserving and enhancing Washington: the place, the people, our home.

- SPIRIT OF INNOVATION: As Washingtonians, we are profoundly optimistic about our future. Based on our past and present, we find inspiration for the future. Ours is a culture with a determined persistence that engenders innovation and a belief that our goals can be realized.

- WORLD CITIZENS: We are compassionate and committed to the active pursuit of global engagement and connectedness. We assume leadership roles to make the world a better place through education and research. We embrace our role to foster engaged and responsible citizenship as part of the learning experience of our students, faculty and staff.

- BEING PUBLIC: As a public university we are deeply committed to serving all our citizens. We collaborate with partners from around the world to bring knowledge and discovery home to elevate the quality of lives of Washingtonians. This measure of public trust and shared responsibility guides our decision-making as well as our aspirations and vision for the future.

Read More

University of Miami

University of Miami is a private institution that was founded in 1925. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 11,380, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 239 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Miami's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 48. Its tuition and fees are $44,350 (2014-15).

Located in Southern Florida, the University of Miami has an ideal location for students who love the outdoors. With popular spots like South Beach, the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park nearby, students have plenty of opportunities for water sports, hiking and sunbathing. Downtown Miami, also near to the school, is a thriving sports and cultural center. On campus, more than 2,400 students are involved in more than 30 fraternities and sororities. Students can also choose from more than 250 clubs and organizations to join. Freshmen are not required to live on campus, but many opt to live in the school’s five residential colleges. The communities, modeled after housing at England’s Oxford and Cambridge universities, combine living and learning with group meals, poetry readings, sports and more. For students who do not live in university housing, the Commuter Assistant Program pairs freshmen with an on-campus representative to help ease the transition into college. University of Miami Division I sports teams are known as the Hurricanes and compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The school’s mascot is Sebastian the Ibis, a species of marsh bird that is known for weathering tropical storms.

The University of Miami is known as a research institution, and research opportunities begin at the undergraduate level. Annual campus events include the Canes Film Festival, which showcases student-produced movies, and Sportsfest, three days of competition between residence hall teams. Undergraduates are also known for upholding school spirit with traditions like the Boat Burning Ceremony held on Lake Osceola during homecoming. Notable alumni of the University of Miami include actor Sylvester Stallone and entertainer Gloria Estefan

The University of Miami's mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world. A brilliant faculty corps draws exceptional students, and the cumulative impact of the two has made the University one of the fastest-rising research universities in the nation. Our steadfast pursuit of excellence begins at the top, with University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala. In the 2014 edition of the U.S. News & World Report annual Best Colleges issue, the University of Miami ranked number 47. For the fifth year in a row, UM has ranked in the top 50 and continues to be the highest ranked school in Florida. The University of Miami is a living, breathing example of the exponential power of great people doing ground-breaking work. What they accomplish at the University flows through global circuits to spark human progress on the grand scale. Dynamic courses are offered in more than 180 majors and programs. At UM, a student can construct learning around individual strengths, interests, curiosities, passions, and goals by offering a unique array of learning options in our nine undergraduate schools and two graduate professional schools. The Cognates Program allows a student to use those options to create an education that is both broad and deep and that displays who the student is and what the student cares about. Because of our geographical location, the University of Miami offers what most places cannot: a mosaic of cultures and traditions amid a beautiful subtropical environment. Our experiential approach nurtures curiosity and exploration of the world outside the classroom while also bringing the world to the University of Miami campus. The value of a University of Miami education is the ability to become part of this vast and renewable resource, gaining knowledge, inspiration, camaraderie, and connections that will prove invaluable for years to come

Read More

University of Florida

University of Florida is a public institution that was founded in 1853. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 33,168, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 2,000 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Florida's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 48. Its in-state tuition and fees are $6,313 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $28,591 (2014-15).

The University of Florida is about two miles away from downtown Gainesville, a college town bolstered by the school’s nearly 50,000 students. The Florida Gators sports teams compete in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference, and are supported by mascots Albert and Alberta the Alligators. The Gator football team, which competes in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — commonly called the "The Swamp" — is particularly notorious. The team became the namesake of popular sports drink Gatorade in 1966, after freshmen Gators experimented with the novel beverage. The annual Gator Growl, held each Homecoming weekend, has been called the largest student-run pep rally in the world. About 15 percent of students are involved in the school’s 60-plus fraternities and sororities. Freshmen do not have to live on campus, though about 80 percent opt to do so. All students can partake in Gator Nights, held every Friday, which offer free late-night entertainment and a free “midnight breakfast.”

The school has well-regarded graduate programs through the engineering school, Hough Graduate School of Business, Levin College of Law and the College of Medicine. The university is also integrated with retirement community Oak Hammock, where students can work, complete internships in health sciences and find mentors. Famous graduates of the University of Florida include home repair television sensation Bob Vila, Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier and former U.S. Sens. Bob Graham and Connie Mack.

The University of Florida is a comprehensive learning institution built on a land grant foundation. We are The Gator Nation, a diverse community dedicated to excellence in education and research and shaping a better future for Florida, the nation and the world.

Our mission is to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit.

The University of Florida, the state's oldest university, traces its beginnings to 1853. Today, the university has more than 50,000 students and 16 colleges. UF has a 2,000-acre campus and more than 900 buildings on the main campus.

Since 1985, UF has been a member of the Association of American Universities, which includes the top 62 public and private institutions in North America. 

UF is consistently ranked among the nation's top universities: No. 14 in U.S. News & World Report "Top Public Universities" (2013); No. 3 in Kiplinger's "Best Values in Public Colleges" (2013).

Nearly two-thirds of UF students graduate with no student loan debt, compared with two-thirds of college students nationally, who graduate with student-loan debt.

UF has 38 Eminent Scholar chairs and over 40 faculty elections to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, or the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

UF faculty attracts nearly $700 million in funding and averages 300 new inventions each year and more than 100 biotechnology companies have emerged as a result of UF research.

UF excels in its student-athletic program, which has been a Top-Ten program nationally for the past 30 years and whose athletic victories include 31 national team championships, 213 SEC titles, and more than 250 individual national titles.

In January 2014, the university enrolled the first students in UF Online, the university's online arm for undergraduate degrees. UF currently offers nine online undergraduate degree programs, including biology, geology and sports management. The university projects 24,000 students and 35 degree programs in ten years.

UF began the renovation and expansion of its signature J. Wayne Reitz Student Union. The $75 million project, which will add 100,000 square feet of dedicated space largely for student offices, clubs and organizations, is expected to be completed by fall of 2015.

UF continued its preservation and restoration efforts of more than three dozen state-owned properties in historic St. Augustine, renovating the iconic Government House and opening the First Colony Exhibit there. The exhibit tells the story of native Floridians and Spanish Colonial Florida as St. Augustine prepares for its 450th anniversary celebration in 2015.

The university began construction of Cypress Hall, one of the first residence halls in the country to feature rooms specifically designed for students with significant physical disabilities. Up to 30 rooms in the new residence hall will be equipped with lift systems and other technology to assist these students.

UF's Office of Technology Licensing continued its pioneering efforts to attract and support more female inventors and entrepreneurs through the Empowering Women in Technology program. The hands-on program, which covers everything from forming companies to writing business plans, has reached over 100 women many of whom are now actively engaged in the local innovation community.

The university's Smathers Libraries added the Judaica Suite, a suite of artfully designed reading rooms devoted to making the volumes of UF'S Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica more visible and available to patrons.

Read More

Pennsylvania State University--University Park

Pennsylvania State University--University Park is a public institution that was founded in 1855. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 40,085, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 8,556 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Pennsylvania State University--University Park's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 48. Its in-state tuition and fees are $17,502 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $30,452 (2014-15).

There is rarely a dull moment on the Pennsylvania State University—University Park campus, also known as Happy Valley. With around 950 clubs and organizations, there are broad opportunities to get involved in campus life. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion, and teams compete in the Division I Big 10 Conference. The football team plays in Beaver Stadium, which is one of the largest arenas in North America with room for more than 107,000 fans. Penn State is home to a thriving Greek system with nearly 90 sororities and fraternities. About 15,000 students volunteer in THON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. Students raise money for pediatric cancer research and awareness throughout the year and participate in a 46-hour dance marathon - no sitting or sleeping allowed. Freshmen must live in one of five housing areas on campus. Across the street from campus is State College, a bustling small town with an array of coffee shops, restaurants, shops and bars populated mostly by students. Surrounded by mountains, the school is also close to skiing, snowboarding and hiking opportunities.

The land-grant institution, which originally was offered state land in exchange for agricultural courses and research, offers highly ranked graduate programs through the College of Education and the College of Engineering. Undergraduates produce the Daily Collegian newspaper, and students get free daily copies of The New York Times, USA Today and Centre Daily Times - the local paper - through the school’s Newspaper Readership Program, the first of its kind. Notable alumni include John Cappelletti, a Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL player; and Valerie Plame Wilson, former CIA agent and author.

Penn State is the flagship public university of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with an historic land-grant mission of teaching, research and service. The university enrolls more than 98,000 students at 24 campus locations statewide and the Penn State World Campus, including more than 46,000 at the University Park campus in State College. Penn State has a campus within practical commuting distance of virtually every Pennsylvanian. Many students start their degree programs at one of nineteen Penn State undergraduate campuses across the state and complete their requirements at University Park. The World Campus delivers more than 60 degree and professional programs online to nearly 14,000 students a year, including military personnel serving overseas. The university also holds a unique responsibility for outreach and engages in collaborative activities with industrial, educational and agricultural partners around the world to disseminate and apply knowledge. Penn State Outreach programs reach more than a million households in Pennsylvania each year. The university also offers degree programs at the College of Medicine at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and Penn State Dickinson School of Law at the University Park and Carlisle campuses. Boasting one of the nation's largest graduate schools, the university is a leader in engaging students in landmark research. More than $2 million in research activity takes place at Penn State each day. Opportunities for discovery extend beyond the graduate school, as Penn State undergraduates have unique opportunities to work with world-class faculty conducting significant research that advances and serves the nation in important ways. Penn State's research and creative initiatives, powered by more than $800 million in annual expenditures, range across all disciplines. Internationally recognized work is done is such diverse areas as alternative energy, nanomaterials, infectious diseases, and child psychology. With fundamental science as a foundation, translating innovative ideas and technologies into practices that accelerate economic development and improve the quality of life is a top priority. As evidence, the University's research expenditures supported by industry and private partners have exceeded $100 million in each of the last six years. Penn State's Alumni Association has nearly 173,000 members, making it the nation's largest dues-paying alumni organization, with more than 275 chapters, societies and interest groups worldwide.

Read More