University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public land-grant research university located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Established in 1869, it is the flagship institution of the University of Nebraska system and the state’s oldest university. The university offers a broad range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across multiple colleges, including agriculture, engineering, business, arts and sciences, journalism, and law. As a member of the Big Ten Conference, it combines major research activity with Division I athletics. Students are drawn to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for its comprehensive academic offerings, strong emphasis on research and public service, and its role as a central educational and cultural institution in Nebraska.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln was founded in 1869, two years after Nebraska achieved statehood, as the state’s land-grant institution under the Morrill Act of 1862. Created by an act of the Nebraska Legislature, the University of Nebraska opened in Lincoln with a mission to provide instruction in literature, science, and the arts while supporting agricultural and industrial development. Classes began in the early 1870s, and Allen R. Benton served as the first chancellor beginning in 1871. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln expanded its academic colleges, research programs, and campus facilities. In 1968, it became the flagship campus of the newly formed University of Nebraska system and adopted its current name. Over time, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln grew into a comprehensive public research university serving students from across Nebraska, the United States, and around the world.