Founded in 1865 as a land-grant institution adjacent to downtown Lexington, University of Kentucky is nestled in the scenic heart of the beautiful Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. From its early beginnings, with only 190 students and 10 professors, UK’s campus now covers more than 918 acres and is home to more than 30,000 students and approximately 13,900 employees, including more than 2,400 fulltime faculty. The student body is diverse, representing more than 100 countries, every state in the nation, and all 120 Kentucky counties. The University continues to attract the best and brightest from Kentucky and beyond.

University of Kentucky is one of eight universities in the United States that has colleges of agriculture, engineering, medicine, and pharmacy on a single campus, leading to groundbreaking discoveries and unique interdisciplinary collaboration. The state’s flagship University consists of 16 academic and professional, degree granting colleges where students can choose from more than 200 majors and degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

In the last several years, UK has received nearly 100 national rankings for excellence in academics, research, health care, and economic development. U.S. News and World Report ranks several of UK’s graduate programs among the nation’s best, the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration is ranked fourth in the category of public finance and budgeting, and the College of Pharmacy is ranked sixth. The University of Kentucky earned 28 Top 10 rankings and 50 Top 25 rankings over the last several years.

Research at the University of Kentucky is a dynamic enterprise encompassing traditional scholarship, the humanities, health care, and emerging fields and technologies. With more than 50 research centers and institutes, UK researchers are discovering new knowledge, providing a rich training ground for current students and the next generation of researchers, advancing the economic growth of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and exploring art and creativity of diverse cultures.

The University of Kentucky's 800 plus acre campus is located just south of downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Major routes into town are marked with UK logo signs leading to campus. The Visitor Centre is located in the Main Building on Administration Drive.