University of Connecticut, USA

Ranked among America’s Top 20 public universities by US News and World Report, UConn offers over 100 undergrad and 80 postgraduate degree programmes

Founded in 1881, University of Connecticut (UConn) is a top-ranked public research university with an aggregate enrolment of 32,027 students instructed by 4,624 faculty. The US News and World Report in its Best Colleges Rankings 2017, ranks UConn #60 overall and #20 among public universities countrywide. Money Magazine and Princeton Review rank the university #18 for value for money. Moreover, UConn is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of Universitas 21, an elite international network of 24 research-intensive universities. 

Sprawled across a 4,000-acre main campus in Storrs and four regional campuses in the state of Connecticut, the university’s 14 colleges — agriculture, health and natural resources, business, dental medicine, Neag education, engineering, fine arts, law, liberal arts and sciences, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture and social work — offer over 100 undergraduate and 80 postgrad degree programmes. 

UConn traces its origin to the Storrs Agricultural School, named after brothers Charles and Augustus Storrs who donated 170 acres of farmland to the school. In 1893, the school became a land grant college and was renamed University of Connecticut in 1939. Over the next decade, social work, nursing, and graduate programmes were introduced, and the schools of law and pharmacy were added to the university. 

Storrs. A quiet college town in Mansfield county, Storrs (pop.15,344) is a 30-minute drive from Hartford, the administrative capital of Connecticut; and 90 minutes from Boston. The town is economically and demographically dominated by U Conn and the associated Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Just steps away from the main campus is the recently inaugurated Storrs Center, a mixed-use urban hub hosting an eclectic mix of restaurants, shops, offices, homes, walkways and green spaces. 

Storrs has an American continent climate with severe winters and warm summers. Temperatures in winter range from 1.7°C to -7.3°C and 14.6°C to 25.4°C in summer.

Campus facilities. The university’s main 4,107 acre-campus in Storrs offers extensive academic, residential, sports and recreational facilities, and hosts 47 buildings listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. With its golden-domed cupola, the Wilbur Cross building is the university landmark housing the financial aid, housing and registrar’s offices. Other campus landmarks include the Connecticut Repertory Theatre with its three venues — the 486-seat Harriet S. Jorgensen, the 241-seat Nafe Katter and the 116-seat studio theatres; the William Benton Museum of Art and the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry. UConn is the sole varsity in the US offering a Masters degree in puppetry.

UConn’s ten libraries contain the largest public research collection in the state. The main Homer D. Babbidge Library offers access to 2.5 million print volumes, 2,500 print periodicals, 35,000 electronic journals, 2.8 million units of microfilm and 180,000 maps. 

In the tradition of American universities sports facilities are extensive. They include the Rentschler Field (football), Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (basketball and volleyball), XL Center (basketball and men’s ice hockey), Joseph J. Morrone Stadium (soccer), Wolff-Zackin Natatorium (swimming and diving), George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex (field hockey, lacrosse, track and field games), and the Hugh S. Greer Field House (track and field events). Moreover there are 600 student organisations on campus.

The main Storrs campus apart, UConn has four regional campuses statewide — Avery Point in Groton (marine and maritime studies); Stamford (undergrad courses and MBA); Waterbury and UConn Health campuses in Farmington. 

Admissions. Admission into UConn is competitive with an admissions acceptance rate of 53 percent. The minimum eligibility requirement for admission is successful completion of Plus Two/class XII. In addition students must submit proof of proficiency in English (TOEFL or IELTS) and SAT or ACT scores. Offshore freshman applicants must apply online through either the Common Application (www.commonapp.org) or the Coalition Application (www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org). The completed application should be submitted together with a non-refundable fee of $80, a personal essay, two letters of recommendation and certified official secondary school transcripts before January 15 for admission into the term beginning September. 

For admission into postgraduate degree programmes, English language proficiency and a bachelor’s degree — the university does not accept three-year bachelor’s degrees from India, Canada, or Australia as equivalent to a US undergrad degree — are required. Moreover, GRE/GMAT scores are also required. 

For further information, contact University of Connecticut, Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 2131 Hillside Road, Unit 3088, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3088. Phone: +1 860 486 3137; Fax: +1 860 486 1476; email [email protected]; website: www.uconn.edu. For graduate admissions e-mail: [email protected].
Accommodation. An estimated 11,000 students live in UConn’s well-furbished halls of residence — arguably the highest percentage on-campus residential students of any public university countrywide. Almost all residential halls are co-ed. Dining options range from buffet-style halls and take-out ‘grab-n-gos’ to fast food chains.

Degree programmes. The university’s 14 schools and colleges offer over 100 undergraduate majors and 80-plus postgrad programmes (see box).
 

Summiya Yasmeen