History of The University of Missouri in Columbia MO

The University of Missouri, or otherwise known as Mizzou, is a public institution of education located in Columbia, Missouri, and is the state's flagship university. It was founded in 1839 as Missouri State University. It was the first public university west of the Mississippi River and has branches at Kansas City, St. Louis, and at Rolla.

In 1870, the University received approval as a land-grant university thanks to the Morrill Act of 1862 that provided grants of land to states with the aim of developing educational institutions focusing on agriculture and the mechanic arts.

Admissions at The University in Columbia MO

The University of Missouri has an acceptance rate of about 77%, meaning that it is not as selective as other institutions. Nearly 50% of the students admitted have an ACT score of between 23 and 29 and an SAT score of 1090 and 1290. The registrar's office considers student GPA to be a very important factor as well as the applicant's class rank at high school or any letters of recommendation. It's worth noting that application fees currently cost $55.

Student Life at Mizzou

The Univerisity is home to over an average of over 20,000 undergraduate students every year with a gender distribution of 52% female students and 48% male students. Students at the University are geographically diverse, with over 65% of the students enrolled come from within Missouri, meaning that the chances are high that students will interact with students from other states as well as other countries.

Its urban setting in Columbia MO makes it an ideal choice for students who are more in tune with the fast life of the city. The University provides accommodation for about 25% of the students while the rest of the students live off-campus. Mizzou is home to Truman Central, Southwest Village, College Crossing, and Honors College; four neighborhoods that provide easy access to amenities meant to ease the student life at Mizzou.

Academic Disciplines Available at The University

The University of Missouri offers 300-degree programs from 13 schools and colleges such as its school of law, school of journalism, and school of medicine that are both situated on the 1,262-acre campus. The campus has instructional staff totaling to about 1,890 giving it a student to instructor ration of about 17 to 1.

Mizzou offers 81 distinct undergraduate degrees across 24 fields of study. Its most popular majors are centered around business, health sciences, and journalism. It has numerous libraries with more than 3 million volumes as well as the Columbia Research Reactor Center among its research facilities. The University also has the Mizzou Botanic Garden, a living museum where more than 40,000 plants have been stored across the institution's 170 years of existence.

Sports

The University is eligible for competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Mizzou is part of the SEC (Southeastern Conference). Mizzou has over 500 students competing across 19 sports such as basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, volleyball, swimming, and gymnastics for both genders. It also provides sports scholarships of over $10,000 to students showing promise of excellence in a particular sport.