About the University

An intellectual destination

One of the world's premier academic and research institutions, the University of Chicago has driven new ways of thinking since our 1890 founding. Today, UChicago is an intellectual destination that draws inspired scholars to our Hyde Park and international campuses, keeping UChicago at the nexus of ideas that challenge and change the world.

A transformative education

Our education empowers individuals to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas. Students in the undergraduate College broaden their perspectives on world issues in the rigorous Core curriculum. Graduate programs through our five divisions, six professional schools, and the Graham School of Continuing Liberal Arts and Professional Studies transform scholars into leaders and grant access to professors often lauded as some of the world's greatest thinkers.

Groundbreaking research

With a commitment to free and open inquiry, our scholars take an interdisciplinary approach to research that spans arts to engineering, medicine to education. Their work transforms the way we understand the world, advancing—and creating—fields of study. Our scholars lead the country in scientific and technological innovations, often in partnership with our affiliated laboratories: Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Generating new knowledge for the benefit of present and future generations, UChicago research has had an impact around the globe, leading to such breakthroughs as discovering the link between cancer and genetics, establishing revolutionary theories of economics, and developing tools to produce reliably excellent urban schooling.

A commitment to enrich society

Located in one of the world's greatest cities, UChicago is enriched by and invested in the community we call home. We are the second-largest private employer in Chicago. Our talented faculty, physicians, and staff compose a dedicated team committed to the mission of the University.

We partner with our South Side neighbors on innovative initiatives with local benefits and replicable outcomes for urban universities everywhere. Meanwhile, our research and ideas have broad impact, crossing borders to drive international conversations. The same is true of our diverse and creative students and alumni, who found businesses, create masterpieces, and win Nobel Prizes.

In all we do, we are driven to dig deeper, push further, and ask bigger questions—and to leverage our knowledge to enrich all human life.