<p>About the University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 37,000 students, 9,000 faculty and staff, and 250 academic programs. Its faculty includes three Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners, 56 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. The institution, founded in 1856, has a $1.9 billion operating budget, secures $550 million annually in external research funding and recently completed a $1 billion dollar fundraising campaign. External support for research has increased by more than 20% over the last five years. The University of Maryland is ranked No. 19 among public universities and No. 21 for most innovative schools by U.S. News & World Report and No. 16 among public universities by Forbes. The Institute of Higher Education, which ranks the world’s top universities based on research, puts Maryland at No. 13 among U.S. public research institutions. According to The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine, UMD is ranked No. 10 overall for undergraduate entrepreneurship programs. The university is also one of the top 10 highest-rated D.C.-area employers, according to Glassdoor.com. The university is recognized for its diversity, with underrepresented students comprising one-fourth of the student population. UMD is the only university in the U.S. with top 25 graduate rankings in all of the following disciplines: Computer Science, Criminology, Economics, Engineering, Information Studies, Information Systems, Mathematics, Physics, Public Health, Public Policy, and Sociology. Of the 37,000+ students who attend UMD, 26,500 are undergraduates and 10,500 graduate students, with 47% female students and 45% non-white students. Located just outside of Washington, D.C., it is in close proximity to many national agencies and laboratories, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and the Smithsonian Institution (SI). This close proximity has led to many research collaborations and joint research centers. To learn more, visit www.umd.edu.</p><p>Last updated June 2016</p>