University of Arizona

About University of Arizona

The University of Arizona (UA), established in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature as the territory's very first university and designated as Arizona’s premier public land-grant research institution, is an internationally acclaimed powerhouse of higher education and discovery. An elected member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) since 1985 and classified as a Carnegie Tier-1 R1 doctoral university with very high research activity, UA generates over $955 million in annual research expenditures, standing as the #1 university in the United States in astronomy and astrophysics research. Spanning a vibrant 540-acre sun-drenched campus in Tucson set against the picturesque backdrop of the Santa Catalina Mountains, UA serves over 49,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 120 nations. The university is globally distinguished for leading monumental NASA interplanetary space exploration missions—including the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, the Phoenix Mars Lander, and the HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter—as well as operating the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab and the world-renowned Biosphere 2 Earth science research complex. UA encompasses distinguished academic colleges offering over 300 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional programs: the Eller College of Management (nationally celebrated for its #3-ranked Management Information Systems program), the College of Engineering (pioneering robotics, aerospace, and biomedical advancements), the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences (the world's foremost academic optical science center), the College of Science, the James E. Rogers College of Law, the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, the College of Medicine (with clinical hubs in Tucson and the Phoenix Bioscience Core), and the College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences. With guaranteed tuition structures, the generous renewable Global Wildcat Award program, and comprehensive Graduate Assistantships providing 100% tuition remission and health insurance, UA empowers students to create transformative global impact under its storied motto: 'Bear Down'.