University of Minnesota--Twin Cities is a public institution that was founded in 1851. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 34,449, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 1,204 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Minnesota--Twin Cities's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 71. Its in-state tuition and fees are $13,626 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $20,876 (2014-15).

The University of Minnesota stretches across a major city – or two, to be exact. Minneapolis and St. Paul, known as the Twin Cities, are frequently recognized for sports, cleanliness and volunteerism. The school has a campus in each city, though the Minneapolis site is considered the main campus of the University of Minnesota. Freshmen do not have to live on campus, but the more than 80 percent who choose to can opt to live in traditional residence halls or one of more than two dozen Living Learning communities, such as the Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives House and La Casa De Español. Also on campus are more than 600 student organizations, including more than 30 fraternities and sororities. The Minnesota Golden Gophers compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference, and all athletic events are held in the Minneapolis campus's Stadium Village neighborhood. Goldy Gopher, the school mascot, energizes thousands of student fans as they chant "Ski-U-Mah," a rally cry that means "Victory UM." Under the Four-Year Graduation Plan, the university ensures that all necessary classes will be available for students to complete their degrees on time. If courses are not available in an undergraduate's four years of schooling, the university will pay for the extra credits.

The university’s Carlson School of Management, College of Education and Human Development and law school are each ranked highly. The public research university begins to engage students at the undergraduate level. Some university applicants will even be guaranteed the opportunity to research when they receive their acceptance letters, and undergraduate researchers are paid for their work. For an off-campus experience, Gophers can study at one of about 200 other schools in U.S. and Canada through the National Student Exchange program, or can venture abroad with the help of the university’s large global study program. Notable alumni of the University of Minnesota include former U.S. Vice Presidents Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, pianist Yanni and journalist Rick Sanchez.

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to the benefit of the state, the nation and the world. The University's mission, carried out on multiple campuses and throughout the state, is threefold. Generate and preserve knowledge, understanding, and creativity by conducting high-quality research, scholarship, and artistic activity that benefit students, scholars, and communities across the state, the nation, and the world. Share that knowledge, understanding, and creativity by providing a broad range of educational programs in a strong and diverse community of learners and teachers, and prepare graduate, professional, and undergraduate students, as well as non-degree seeking students interested in continuing education and lifelong learning, for active roles in a multiracial and multicultural world. Extend, apply, and exchange knowledge between the University and society by applying scholarly expertise to community problems, by helping organizations and individuals respond to their changing environments, and by making the knowledge and resources created and preserved at the University accessible to the citizens of the state, the nation, and the world. In all its activities, the University strives to sustain an open exchange of ideas in an environment that embodies the values of academic freedom, responsibility, integrity, and cooperation; that provides an atmosphere of mutual respect, free from racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice and intolerance; that assists individuals, institutions, and communities in responding to a continuously changing world; that is conscious of and responsive to the needs of the many communities it is committed to serving; that creates and supports the partnerships with the University, with other educational systems and institutions, and with communities to achieve common goals; and that inspires, sets high expectations for, and empowers the individuals within its community