Brief History of the University

• 1870: The institution now known as The University of Akron was founded as Buchtel College by the Ohio Universalist Convention
• 1872: Buchtel College opened its doors to 46 collegiate students, 171 preparatory students and seven faculty members
• 1873: Buchtel College produces the first graduate
• 1880: The first master's degree was awarded
• 1913: Trustees transfer Buchtel College's assets to the city of Akron, creating the Municipal University of Akron
• 1926: Trustees change the institution's name to The University of Akron
• 1959: The University's first doctoral degree was awarded, in polymer science. In so doing, Akron became the fifth Ohio university to offer doctoral work, following Ohio State, Western Reserve, Case and Cincinnati
• 1967: On July 1, The University of Akron became one of the Ohio's state universities
• 1999: The New Landscape for Learning campus development initiative was launched
• 2004: First phase of the New Landscape for Learning campus enhancement program was completed, resulting in 9 new buildings, 14 major renovations and 30 acres of fresh green space
• Community and Technical College was renamed Summit College
• 2005: Honors College was created
• Zips football team won its first Mid-American Conference Championship in school history and got its first Division IA bowl bid
• 2006: John S. and James L. Knight Foundation gives its largest-ever single grant, $10 million, to further support UA's revitalization of the 40-block area around campus through the University Park Alliance
• 2007: New Landscape for Learning building program continues with addition of 15th residence hall and announcement that UA would build its first on-campus football stadium
• 2008: UA’s mascot, Zippy, rings in the New Year with a national championship — winning the Capital One Bowl Mascot of the Year Challenge
• On April 4, the official groundbreaking celebration was held for InfoCision Stadium/Summa Field

Campuses

• 87 buildings on 222 acres in metropolitan Akron
• Two regional campuses — Wayne College, located on 151 acres in Orrville, Ohio, about 30 miles southwest of Akron, and Medina County University Center, a 33,000-square-foot facility in Medina
• B.S./M.D. program offered at main campus and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rootstown, Ohio

 National Rankings 

• The University of Akron is one of 161 institutions designated Best in the Midwest by the Princeton Review in its 2008 Best Colleges: Region-by-Region edition
• Engineering students met a real-world challenge in April 2008 by placing first in the Micro Class unmanned aerial vehicle competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers
• In March 2008, students in the Surveying and Mapping Technology Program took first place in a national competition sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors. Since this competition was inaugurated in 2002, UA has placed first four times and finished second three times
• The College of Business Administration graduate program was recognized in the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 editions of The Princeton Review's Best Business Schools
• UA ranked third among the nation's top 50 campuses with the greatest wireless Web access in a 2005 Intel Corp. survey
• School of Law was ranked #2 in 2004 as a best value by National Jurist and Pre-Law Insider magazine
• UA School of Law is one of only 17 in the nation offering an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law
• Student teams earned #1 rankings in national trial advocacy competitions in 2004 and 2003
• Industrial/Organizational Psychology program ranked 6th nationally by U.S. News & World Report
• Only public university in Ohio with a science and engineering program ranked in the top five nationally by U.S. News & World Report
  
• Engineering students placed 2nd among 17 college teams in 2005 - the first year of the three-year competition sponsored by GM to design a fuel-efficient, "green" SUV by 2007
  
• One of only 12 universities in the nation named as a Carnegie Cluster leader in recognition of teaching and learning achievements

 Accreditation

• North Central Association of Colleges & Schools
• 35 professional accrediting agencies
• Document for accrediting agencies listing.
  

Carnegie Basic Classification

• Main Campus RU/H: Research Universities (high research activity)
• Wayne College Assoc/Pub2in4: Associate's--Public 2-yr colleges under 4-yr universities
• Carnegie Foundation

Enrollment

Students receiving Financial Aid
78% (Includes aid from all sources, i.e. scholarships, grants, loans, student employment on campus, graduate assistantships and fee remissions for employees/dependents)

Additional Quick Facts