The University of Maryland is the flagship campus of the state’s higher educational system and a top-ranked public research institution. They are a diverse community of 38,000 students, 9,000 faculty and staff, and 352,000 alumni, all dedicated to the pursuit of Fearless Ideas. Located just outside Washington, D.C., they discover and share new knowledge every day through their renowned research enterprise and programs in academics, the arts and athletics. And they are committed to social entrepreneurship as the nation’s first “Do Good” campus.
The University of Maryland’s proud past stretches back to 1856, when the tiny Maryland Agricultural College was carved from part of Charles Benedict Calvert’s plantation along a dirt road now called U.S Route 1. From its start with 34 students, the institution slowly grew to include engineering and the liberal arts, and to add athletics, women and minorities. It survived the Great Fire of 1912, re-emerged as a public college, and boomed following World War II. Today, the university is a national powerhouse in research and academics, even as it embraces its roots as a land-grant institution.
The mission of the University of Maryland, College Park is to provide excellent teaching, research, and service. The University educates students and advances knowledge in areas of importance to the State, the nation, and the world. The University is committed to being a preeminent national center for research and for graduate education, and the institution of choice for Maryland’s undergraduates of exceptional ability and promise.
Spanning 12 schools and colleges, Maryland offers more than 200 degree-granting programs, many of them ranked among the best in the country. Their faculty includes three Nobel laureates, two Pulitzer Prize winners, 60 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. And their students, who include the highest achievers in the state and nation, enjoy experiences unique to their location just outside the nation’s capital, including internships, research, and leadership and service opportunities.
The University of Maryland is one of the world’s premier research institutions. With their strategic location and scores of partnerships with government and businesses, UMD conducts groundbreaking research on some of the biggest challenges facing their global community, including cybersecurity and terrorism, bioengineering, public health equity, food safety and climate change. They strive to discover new knowledge and put it to work through innovation and entrepreneurship, advancing economic development and transforming lives.
Home of the Terrapins, the University of Maryland has one of the nation’s most recognizable and successful athletics programs. More than 550 student-athletes compete each year in 19 intercollegiate sports—11 for women and eight for men. Since 2005 alone, Maryland has won 16 national championships, including NCAA titles in women’s basketball, men’s soccer and women’s lacrosse. Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2014, UMD has won a combined 17 regular season and tournament championships. Fear the Turtle!
