The University of Wyoming (UW), a public land-grant institution founded in 1886, is a reflection of the global community it serves.  The extensive range of academic programs offered at UW inspires the development of “new thinking” and promotes fulfilling careers in the rapidly evolving world. 

As a Carnegie Research University–Extensive, UW's research goals are continually being pushed to the boundaries and beyond by its professors and students.  It is this academic ambition that has allowed UW to provide high-quality undergraduate and graduate education, research, and service since 1886. 

Wyoming, unique among the fifty states, has only one university.  UW enjoys tremendous support from within its state as well as from an alumni network that spans the globe.  More than 11,900 students from all parts of the U.S. and sixty other countries attend UW classes in Laramie and at outreach sites around the state. The variety of students at UW enriches the educational experience for all by fostering a multicultural environment that encourages sharing and learning about those with different heritages and cultural backgrounds. It is this dialogue that continues to promote respect and appreciation for diversity. 

UW offers bachelor's degree programs in six undergraduate colleges: the Colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, and Health Sciences.  Undergraduate education is a high priority at UW.  More than 88 percent of the undergraduate courses are taught by professors, and the average class size is 24 students.  UW also offers eighty-five graduate and professional programs, including the Doctor of Pharmacy, the Juris Doctor, and the new master's program in e-business. 

There are more than 180 recognized campus clubs and organizations, including fourteen national fraternities and sororities, honor and professional societies, political and religious organizations, and special-interest groups.  Students have the opportunity to participate in more than sixty different intramural and club sports.  UW is a Division I member of the NCAA and competes in the Mountain West Conference in seventeen men's and women's sports.  Campus recreational facilities include the Wyoming Union, which recently underwent a $10-million renovation and includes the UW bookstore, eating establishments, student computers, study areas, and a variety of services and resources for students.  Additional facilities on campus include Half Acre Gym, an indoor climbing wall, an 18-hole golf course, tennis and racquetball courts, weight rooms, two swimming pools, rifle and archery ranges, indoor and outdoor tracks, softball and baseball fields, and a hockey rink. 

UW houses 2,400 students in six residence halls, and freshmen are required to live on campus during their first year. While primarily coed, the residence halls offer a number of unique living environments, including quiet/study floors, special-interest floors, honors floors, single-sex floors, and other academic living environments.  UW also offers fourteen different Freshman Interest Groups (FIGS), which are learning communities that offer common living areas and clustered classes to students with similar academic areas of interest.