Established in 1856, the University of Chicago is a prestigious private research university located in the heart of Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States. Outside the Ivy League, it ranks among America’s top universities and consistently holds top-ten positions in various national and international rankings.
The University of Chicago is renowned not only for its arts and sciences but also for its distinguished professional schools, including the Pritzker School of Medicine, the Booth School of Business, and the Harris School of Public Policy Studies. Its alumni have been instrumental in developing numerous academic disciplines, such as sociology, economics, law, and literary criticism.
The university’s crest features a phoenix rising from the ashes, symbolizing the rebirth of the institution. This emblem reflects the transition from the original University of Chicago, which faced fire, foreclosure, and demolition, to the new University of Chicago that emerged in 1890. The old university was established with land endowment from the controversial Senator Stephen Douglas, a pro-slavery advocate who authored the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In contrast, the new University of Chicago was co-educational and supported by donations from affluent Chicagoans and oil magnate John D. Rockefeller.
Today, the University of Chicago enrolls approximately 16,000 students, with a gender ratio of 56:44. About a quarter of the student body comes from international backgrounds, reflecting the university’s commitment to diversity and global engagement.
Students are actively involved in over 400 clubs and societies, covering a wide range of interests from sports teams and arts to cultural, religious, academic, and political groups. Notable groups include the University of Chicago bowl team, which has won 118 tournaments and 15 national championships, and the university’s Model United Nations team, which was ranked the top team in North America during the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons.
For those interested in media and film, the university offers robust opportunities, including the longest-running student film society, Doc Films, and several newspapers and magazines. Aspiring actors can join the renowned improvisational theater troupe Off-Off Campus, or gain broadcasting experience at the university-owned radio station, WHPK.
Notable faculty members past and present include 29 Nobel laureates and former U.S. President Barack Obama. The university’s illustrious alumni span a wide range of fields, including novelists Philip Roth and Saul Bellow, political analyst Nate Silver and Obama strategist David Axelrod, pioneering balloonist Jeannette Piccard, and even the fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones.
