Located where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, we embody the spirit of exploration and discovery that defines our region and history. The University of Denver is a private institution built on exploration through research and collaboration among educators, students, and local and global communities.
With nationally recognized academic programs, a history of widespread influence, a forward-looking vision for a 21st-century education, and a deep commitment to promoting inclusion, we open a world of opportunity to students and empower Pioneers to make a difference around the world.
We deliver a rigorous and rewarding experience for our students through a holistic approach to education that transforms students into leaders. Through learning, scholarship, and practice, students gain the experience, knowledge, and courage they need to tackle significant challenges in the real world and guide diverse communities and organizations.
In the classroom, students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels work closely with faculty to shape academic pathways that lead to intellectual fulfillment and career achievement. We are a mid-sized University of about 12,000 graduates and undergraduates with average class sizes under 21 students and an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Individual attention combined with big-city connections provides a wealth of professional opportunities for students, most of whom choose to stay in Denver after graduation. By facilitating research, community involvement, and global exploration, we're building a foundation for lifelong achievement.
Partnering with businesses, our local community, and a range of educational partners, we tackle the Rocky Mountain West's grand challenges and work together to strengthen our region and provide opportunities for the people who call it home. Our students, faculty, and community partners solve problems throughout Colorado and beyond, addressing such challenges as homelessness, healthy aging, and sustainability. Engagement through research and service allows us to stay involved at home and around the world. Plus, we've dedicated ourselves to being a resource for our neighbors by hosting education and arts events for local high school students and others in the Denver area, expanding our reach beyond our campus.
Our intellectual curiosity leads to solutions that benefit people worldwide, and our campus is enriched by the diverse perspectives of students from 89 countries. Around 70 percent of our undergraduate students participate in study abroad programs during their time here, taking advantage of the opportunity to advance peace, justice, and understanding worldwide. With one of the world's top schools for international relations, student and faculty research spans the continents, and a network of nearly 140,000 alumni supports students and graduates globally.
Under the direction of Chancellor Rebecca Chopp, the University promotes a culture of inclusiveness and intellectual curiosity, helping students become graduates who understand the multiple perspectives of this changing world. Our leaders come from many backgrounds and perspectives, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise. They collaborate with students and faculty to determine the University's direction, expand student opportunities, and enhance our shared ability to make a difference.
At DU, we believe the genius is in the doing. Students take part in small, focused classes, where they improve understanding through conversations that draw from the vast range of experiences and perspectives of our diverse community.
Learning here goes far beyond the lecture hall. We create opportunities for research, scholarship, performance, and engagement. Our students collaborate with peers and faculty across disciplines and explore the subjects that move them. Our students develop essential skills, find meaning, and fuel their passions through exploration and collaboration with peers and faculty across disciplines.
We seek students who want to chart their paths. Whether they pursue careers as novelists or entrepreneurs, chemists, or musicians, our students are driven by boldness, passion, and innovation as they work to achieve their vision of greatness and enrich and improve their communities and the world by sharing it.
Both DU and Denver rose out of the Colorado frontier and have developed in tandem ever since. We were founded in 1864 as the Colorado Seminary, only six years after the founding of Denver City in the Colorado Territory. As Denver grew from a gold rush boom town with a population of around 3,000 into one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities of the interior West, we too evolved from our roots as a Methodist seminary into a global intellectual center in a city on the rise. Our first female and African American graduates earned their degrees in 1886 and 1900, respectively.
We established one of the first business schools in the country and the first school of social work between the Mississippi and the West Coast. Football teams from the NFL and the AFL played each other for the first time on our campus. During the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. visited and became a center of protest for the region.
As we entered the 21st century, we modernized our campus and renewed our commitment to academic excellence and inclusion. Our students and faculty continue to drive our development. We look forward to the next 150 years as we enhance our status as one of our city's defining institutions and an internationally known, student-centered research university.
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