In 1866, the University of Kansas welcomed the first class of 55 students to an unfinished building on a treeless ridge called Mount Oread. The once barren landscape has grown into a wooded campus considered one of the most beautiful in the nation.
KU has 13 schools, including the only schools of pharmacy and medicine in the state, and offers more than 370 degree programs. Particularly strong are special education, city management, speech-language pathology, rural medicine, clinical child psychology, nursing, occupational therapy, and social welfare. Students, split almost equally between women and men, come from all 50 states and 105 countries and are about 15 percent multicultural.
KU, one of only 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities, is a major research university with a distinguished record of research collaboration promoted through independent, multidisciplinary research centers that focus on common themes.University Research Centers and InstitutesResearch Center and Institutes Portal
The University Career Center (UCC) offers a wide range of quality services designed to support and challenge students at all points on the career development and implementation path. To guide students as they prepare for post-graduate career success, three separate yet interdependent functional service teams are in place—Career Education, Career Networks and Administration.
MissionWe are here to provide support and assistance to help you meet your academic goals by offering convenient and accessible services. We partner with a variety of departments on the Lawrence campus to provide special events, programs and alternate appointment options such as Skype and online consultations.
Student Support Services KU Edwards has on-site student support services to help students achieve their highest level of success including Financial Aid & Scholarships, disability resources, Office of Diversity & Equity and moreStudent Housing offers variety of on-campus living options.
The Academic Achievement and Access Center (AAAC) coordinates accommodations for students university-wide. It is an individual's choice whether to self-identify, submit documentation, and make the decision about using accommodations. AAAC provides academic accommodations such as in-class accommodations, auxiliary aides, and services (e.g., alternative texts or sign language interpreters).
One of the top 50 libraries in the Association of Research Libraries by volumes held, and the largest library in Kansas, KU Libraries have more than 4.4 million print volumes in their seven campus locations, which see more than 1.6 million visits every year. In 2012, patrons checked out nearly 165,000 items and accessed more than 3.3 million articles online.
Students are strongly encouraged to make appointments to be seen by a Watkins Health Services medical provider. Advantages of making an appointment include:
Lawrence Campus
International Student Association is an organization that merges all of the nationalities represented on the KU campus to promote international friendships and cultural appreciation. Members are treated to a variety of social events throughout the academic term. Highlighting the spring semester, ISA hosts a week of international awareness programs culminating in a Festival of Nations, which features talents and fashions from around the world.
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 17 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 332 | 340 | 357 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By TopUniversities
Dropped 50 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 452 | 465 | 515 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 351 | 351 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2026 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | 301 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Based on 8 reviews
University of Kansas has a great online program for students looking to brush up on their graduate-level skills in communication. I would recommend to any looking to study thse topics to consider applying here. Teachers are very helpful and want to see their students succeed.
Great big 12 school to attend. Not necessarily the most competitive education in relation to acceptance rate and placement options post-grad, but it certainly sets everyone up for success. The teachers are all great, the business school is new and a great place for classes, studying, and collaborating with other students. Outside of class, the social scene is great and the sports are incredible. Rock chalk!
I really like the diversity of culture, good teaching and Student Job availability, although I haven't yet started schooling there yet
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