LOCATION: With a flagship campus in the heart of the Twin Cities, and four coordinate campuses across Minnesota, the University of Minnesota offers just the right learning environment for every student.

WHAT IT OFFERS: One of the nation’s largest schools, the U offers baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in virtually every field—from medicine to business, law to liberal arts, and science and engineering to architecture.

HEADCOUNT: A testament to its growing prominence and appeal, the U’s enrollment has reached 64,964 but a 16-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio ensures plenty of attention.

LIKE CLOCKWORK: Four-year graduation rates have doubled in recent years as students take advantage of free tuition for credits over 13 in a semester.

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: Contributing to the U’s academic prestige are 20 Nobel Laureates, 86 Guggenheim Fellows, and 2 MacArthur “Geniuses” on campus right now!

COOL FACT: The world’s largest collections of Sherlock Holmes literature, artifacts, and memorabilia are housed in the U’s Andersen Library.

STUDENT SUCCESS: The U “brings the brainpower” in the under-20 set with 101 National Merit Scholars in its current freshman class—that’s the second most in the Big Ten.

UNSPOKEN ADVANTAGE: Graduates stay where the business and entrepreneurial community thrives. With 20 Fortune 500 companies in the Twin Cities alone, it’s no wonder U alumni have founded more than 10,000 businesses in Minnesota.

GLOBAL REACH: With more than 250 student exchange programs around the world, there’s no shortage of opportunities for faculty and students to experience the world.

ENTREPRENEURIAL EDGE: Creative thinkers from the U were behind the first wearable cardiac pacemaker, GORE-TEX®, the retractable seat belt, and Post-it® Notes. In just the past five years, inventions by U researchers have generated nearly $390 million in revenue for the state.

AFFORDABILITY: The U makes financial assistance to students a priority. In 2009, it gave aid to 42.2 percent of resident undergrads through the U Promise Scholarship. Over the past three years, it invested more than $37 million in fellowships, grants, and other assistance for grad and professional students.

FAMOUS ALUMNI: Agronomist Norman Borlaug (who saved billions from starvation); former vice president Walter Mondale; satirist Garrison Keillor; Super Bowl championship coach Tony Dungy; inventor and Medtronic, Inc., founder Earl Bakken.

WORKING TOGETHER: The world’s biggest problems don’t have just one solution. That’s why the U’s best minds are putting their heads together—with 50 joint graduate degree programs and 200 collaborative institutes and centers.

ECONOMIC ENGINE: Every dollar the state of Minnesota invests in the U generates $13.20 for the statewide economy.