 | |
| Latin:Universitas Arizonensis[1][2] | |
| Motto | Sursum[1][2] |
|---|---|
Motto in English | "Upwards"[3][1][2] |
| Type | Publicland-grantresearch university |
| Established | March 12, 1885; 140 years ago (1885-03-12) |
Parent institution | Arizona Board of Regents |
| Accreditation | WSCUC |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $1.39 billion (FY2024)[4] |
| Budget | $3.04 billion (FY2026)[5] |
| President | Suresh Garimella |
Academic staff | 3,374 (fall 2025)[6] |
Total staff | 15,764 (fall 2025)[7] |
| Students | 54,384 (fall 2025)[8] |
| Undergraduates | 43,294 (fall 2025)[8] |
| Postgraduates | 11,090 (fall 2025)[8] |
| Location | ,, United States 32°13′55″N110°57′10″W / 32.2319°N 110.9527°W /32.2319; -110.9527 |
| Campus | Large city[10], 392 acres (1.59 km2)[9] |
| Newspaper | The Daily Wildcat |
| Colors | Cardinal and navy[11] |
| Nickname | Wildcats |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascots | Wilbur and Wilma T. Wildcat |
| Website | arizona.edu |
 | |
 | |
TheUniversity of Arizona (Arizona,U of A,UArizona, orUA) is apublicland-grantresearch university inTucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university established in theArizona Territory. The University of Arizona is one of three universities governed by theArizona Board of Regents (the University of Arizona,Arizona State University, andNorthern Arizona University). As of fall 2025[update], the university enrolled 54,384 students in 22 separate colleges/schools, including theEller College of Management, theWyant College of Optical Sciences, theCollege of Medicine – Phoenix, theCollege of Medicine – Tucson, and theJames E. Rogers College of Law.[12]
The university isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". UA also is a member of theAssociation of American Universities. The University of Arizona is affiliated with two academic medical centers,Banner – University Medical Center Tucson andBanner – University Medical Center Phoenix.
Known as theArizona Wildcats (often shortened to "Cats"), the UA's intercollegiate athletic teams were members of thePac-12 Conference of theNCAA. The university joined theBig 12 Conference on August 2, 2024.[13] UA athletes have won national titles in several sports, most notably men's basketball, baseball, and softball.
After the passage of theMorrill Land-Grant Act of 1862, the push for a university in Arizona grew. The Arizona Territory's "Thieving Thirteenth" Legislature approved the University of Arizona in 1885 and selected the city of Tucson to receive the appropriation to build the university. Tucson hoped to receive the appropriation for the territory's mental hospital, which carried a $100,000 allocation instead of the $25,000 allotted to the territory's only university (Arizona State University was also chartered in 1885, but it was created as Arizona'snormal school, and not a university[14]).[citation needed] Flooding on theSalt River delayed Tucson's legislators, and by they time they reachedPrescott, back-room deals allocating the most desirable territorial institutions had been made. Tucson was largely disappointed with receiving what was viewed as an inferior prize.
With no parties willing to provide land for the new institution, the citizens of Tucson prepared to return the money to the Territorial Legislature until two gamblers and a saloon keeper decided to donate 40 acres to the Board of Regents.[15] Construction ofOld Main, the first building on campus, began on October 27, 1887, and classes met for the first time in 1891 with 32 students in Old Main, which is still in use today.[16] Because there were no high schools in Arizona Territory, the university maintained separate preparatory classes for the first 23 years of operation.[17]
In 1924, duringCloyd Marvin's tenure as president, the university was recognized by theAssociation of American Universities.[18]
Three professors were murdered at the school in ashooting in 2002. The perpetrator, who then shot himself, was a student who had failed out of the school. He mailed a 22 page letter to theArizona Daily Star announcing his reasons, naming two of the killed professors in the letter; following the shooting, theDaily Star made the controversial decision to publish the letter.[19]
On April 17, 2020, the University of Arizona announced temporary pay cuts and furloughs to its 15,000 employees as its Tucson campus shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All employees making up to $150,000 per year were furloughed, with the length determined by each employees' salary. For employees making more than $150,000 per year, pay cuts of 17% or 20% were instituted.[20]
Also in 2020, the University of Arizona announced it had purchasedAshford University fromZovio and renamed itThe University of Arizona Global Campus.[21] The purchase was heavily criticized, particularly by University of Arizona faculty members.[22][23] As Ashford was being purchased by the University of Arizona, it was the subject of an investigation by the Attorney General of Massachusetts, a lawsuit from the Attorney General of California, and a formal notification of concern from the university's accreditor.[24][25][26]
A university professor was murdered on campus in October 2022, by a former student.[27] Following the crime, the university commissioned an independent investigation of campus safety. Following that investigation and one of their own that faulted the university for failing to act on warnings and protect the campus, the university's faculty senate voted "no confidence" in the president and many other leaders at the university.[28]
In 2023, the University of Arizona faced a financial crisis, allegedly "losing track of more than $240 million through accounting errors and flawed financial projections."[29] Subsequent investigative reporting byThe Arizona Republic linked much of the crisis to the university's purchase of Ashford University, accusing university administrators of knowing that Ashford was experiencing "a downward enrollment spiral that began years before [the purchase] and dismal graduation and retention rates".[30]
In April 2024, the UA chapter ofStudents for Justice in Palestine joinedstudent protests across the USA against thewar in Gaza, during what they called "Israeli Apartheid Week".[31][32] The encampment was attacked and dispersed by police firing rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper balls. Bystanders and press were also hurt in the police violence.[33][34][35] The students were protesting against UA involvement with companies supporting the "genocide andethnic cleansing inPalestine" and called fordivestment.[36]
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The main campus' 179 buildings sit on 380 acres (1.5 km2) in central Tucson, about one mile (1.6 km) northeast of downtown.Roy Place, a prominentTucson architect, designed many of the early buildings, including theArizona State Museum buildings (one of them the 1927 main library) and Centennial Hall. Place's use of red brick set the tone for the red brick facades that are a basic part of nearly all UA buildings: almost every UA building has red brick as a major component of the design, or at the very least, a stylistic accent to harmonize it with the other campus buildings.[37][38] In the early 1930s, Place updated the campus master plan, conceived by his architectural partner John Lyman in 1919 and modeled after theUniversity of Virginia.[39]
The campus is roughly divided into quadrants. The north and south sides of campus are delineated by a grassy expanse called the Mall, which stretches from Old Main eastward to the campus' eastern border at Campbell Avenue (a major north–south arterial street). The west and east sides of campus are separated roughly by Highland Avenue and the Student Union Memorial Center (see below).
The science and mathematics buildings tend to be clustered in the southwest quadrant; the intercollegiate athletics facilities to the southeast; the arts and humanities buildings to the northwest (with the dance department being a major exception as its main facilities are far to the east end of campus), with the engineering buildings in the north central area. The optical and space sciences buildings are clustered on the east side of campus near the sports stadiums and the (1976) main library.
Speedway Boulevard, one of Tucson's primary east–west arterial streets, traditionally defined the northern boundary of campus but since the 1980s, several university buildings have been constructed directly on, and north of, this street, expanding into a neighborhood traditionally filled with apartment complexes and single-family homes. The university has purchased a handful of these apartment complexes for student housing in recent years. Sixth Street typically defines the southern boundary, with single-family homes (many of which are rented out to students) south of this street.
The Stevie Eller Dance Theater, opened in 2003 (across the Mall fromMcKale Center) as a 28,600-square-foot (2,660 m2) dedicated performance venue for the UA's dance program, one of the most highly regarded university dance departments in the United States. Designed by Gould Evans, a Phoenix-based architectural firm, the theater was awarded the 2003 Citation Award from theAmerican Institute of Architects, Arizona Chapter.[40]
TheComputer Science department'swebcam provides a live feed[41] of the campus as seen from the top of the Gould-Simpson building (the tallest classroom building on campus at 10 stories).[42] The Berger Memorial Fountain at the west entrance of Old Main honors the UA students who died in World War I, and dates back to 1919.[43] The University of Arizona generates renewable energy with solar panels (photo voltaic) that have been installed on campus buildings. In 2011, theSustainable Endowments Institute gave the university a College Sustainability Report Card grade of "B."[44] In 2015, the university opened the ENR2, housing theUniversity of Arizona School of Geography, Development and Environment set to be one of its "greenest" buildings on campus with features like a cutting edge air conditioning system and 55,000-gallon water-harvesting tank. Designed to resemble a slot canyon in the Sonoran Desert, the 150,000 sq. ft. building focuses on adaptation and reducing our carbon footprint.[45]
The Student Union Memorial Center, on the north side of the Mall east of Old Main, was completely reconstructed between 2000 and 2003. It replaced a 270,000-square-foot (25,000 m2) structure originally opened in 1951 with additions during the 1960s and early 1970s.[46]
The building was designed to mirror the USSArizona (BB-39). A variety of sculptures pepper the premises, decorating the air with the chimes of dog tags or the colors of refracted light in honor of those who have served. Abell housed on the USSArizona, one of the two bells rescued from the ship after theattack on Pearl Harbor, has a permanent home in the clock tower of the Student Union Memorial Center. The bell arrived on campus in July 1946. The bell was rung seven times on the third Wednesday of every month at 12:07 pm – symbolic of the battleship's sinking on December 7, 1941 – to honor individuals at the UA, as well as after homefootball victories, over any team except other Arizona schools.[47][48] In December 2020, it was announced that at the request of the U.S. Navy, who still officially owns the bell, and in the interest of preservation of the historic artifact, that the bell would no longer be rung.[49]
Much of the main campus has been designated anarboretum. Plants from around the world are labeled along a self-guided plant walk. The Krutch Cactus Garden[50] includes the tallestBoojum tree in the state of Arizona.[51] Two herbaria on the university campus are referred to as "ARIZ" in theIndex Herbarium.
The campus also boasts hundreds of olive trees many of which were planted by Prof. Robert H. Forbes. Many of these trees are over a hundred years old.[52]
The University of Arizona, like its sister institutionsArizona State University andNorthern Arizona University, is governed by theArizona Board of Regents or the ABOR, a 12-member body. Eight volunteer members are appointed by the Governor to staggered eight-year terms; two students serve on the board for two-year appointments, with the first year being a nonvoting apprentice year. The Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction serve as voting ex-officio members.[53] The ABOR provides "policy guidance" and oversight to the three major degree-granting universities, as provided for by Title 15 of theArizona Revised Statutes.
Suresh Garimella was named the 23rd president of the U of A on August 9, 2024. Previously, he was the president of theUniversity of Vermont from 2019 to 2024. Garimella has also previously served as the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships, a Chief Global Affairs Officer, and was recognized as a Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering atPurdue University.
Garimella replacedRobert C. Robbins, MD. He was named as the lone finalist to succeed as president after Robbins announced his plans to step down at the end of his current contract, or before if a suitable successor was identified, during an ABOR meeting on April 2, 2024.[54][55]
Notable past presidents of the university include:Ann Weaver Hart who was the university's first female president, serving from 2012 to 2017;[56][57] interim presidentEugene Sander, who retired from the university after 25 years of service as an educator and administrator, including nearly one year in the interim president role;[58][59][60]Robert N. Shelton, who began his tenure in 2006 and resigned in the summer of 2011 to accept the presidency of theFiesta Bowl, (aBCScollege football tournament played annually in the Phoenix area).[61] Shelton's predecessor,Peter Likins, vacated his post at the conclusion of the 2005–06 academic term.[62] Other past UA presidents include Manuel Pacheco (Likins' primary predecessor; the first person ofHispanic descent to lead the university and for whom theIntegrated Learning Center is named),Henry Koffler (Pacheco's predecessor and the first UA alumnus to lead the university),[63] John Schaefer, Richard Harvill[64] (who presided over a period of dramatic growth for the UA in the 1950s and 1960s),Homer L. Shantz, Kendrick C. Babcock,[65] andRufus B. von KleinSmid.[66]
The University of Arizona offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees. Grades are given on a strict 4-point scale with "A" worth 4, "B" worth 3, "C" worth 2, "D" worth 1 and "E" worth zero points.[67]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[68] | 124 |
| U.S. News & World Report[69] | 127 (tie) |
| Washington Monthly[70] | 192 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[71] | 325 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[72] | 151–200 |
| QS[73] | 287 (tie) |
| THE[74] | 138 (tie) |
| U.S. News & World Report[75] | 115 (tie) |
| National Program Rankings (as of 2025)[76] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Audiology | 14 (tie) | ||
| Biological Sciences | 50 (tie) | ||
| Biostatistics | 56 (tie) | ||
| Business | 66 (tie) | ||
| Chemistry | 51 (tie) | ||
| Clinical Psychology | 31 (tie) | ||
| Computer Science | 61 (tie) | ||
| Earth Sciences | 4 (tie) | ||
| Economics | 41 (tie) | ||
| Education | 54 (tie) | ||
| Engineering | 69 (tie) | ||
| English | 59 (tie) | ||
| Fine Arts | 32 (tie) | ||
| History | 50 (tie) | ||
| Law | 59 (tie) | ||
| Library & Information Studies | 24 (tie) | ||
| Mathematics | 43 (tie) | ||
| Medicine: Primary Care | Tier 1 | ||
| Medicine: Research | Tier 2 | ||
| Nursing: Anesthesia | 33 (tie) | ||
| Nursing: Doctorate | 17 (tie) | ||
| Nursing: Master's | 20 (tie) | ||
| Pharmacy | 26 (tie) | ||
| Physics | 35 (tie) | ||
| Political Science | 51 | ||
| Psychology | 39 (tie) | ||
| Public Affairs | 36 (tie) | ||
| Public Health | 27 (tie) | ||
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 10 | ||
| Sociology | 28 (tie) | ||
| Speech-Language Pathology | 11 (tie) | ||
| Statistics | 54 (tie) | ||
| Veterinary Medicine | 30 | ||
In 2023, TheCenter for World University Rankings ranked University of Arizona No. 95 in the world and 48 in the U.S.[77]U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best College Rankings ranked the University of Arizona in Tucson No. 52 in U.S. top public universities in a tie withUniversity of Oregon andBrigham Young University.
| Global Program Rankings (as of 2025)[78] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Agricultural Sciences | 238 | ||
| Arts & Humanities | 88 (tie) | ||
| Biology & Biochemistry | 180 (tie) | ||
| Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems | 172 | ||
| Cell Biology | 227 | ||
| Chemistry | 486 (tie) | ||
| Civil Engineering | 226 | ||
| Clinical Medicine | 147 | ||
| Computer Science | 388 (tie) | ||
| Ecology | 68 (tie) | ||
| Economics & Business | 232 (tie) | ||
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | 567 | ||
| Engineering | 401 (tie) | ||
| Environment/Ecology | 62 | ||
| Geosciences | 25 | ||
| Immunology | 237 (tie) | ||
| Infectious Diseases | 235 | ||
| Materials Science | 430 (tie) | ||
| Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences | 45 | ||
| Microbiology | 106 (tie) | ||
| Molecular Biology & Genetics | 243 (tie) | ||
| Neuroscience & Behavior | 220 | ||
| Oncology | 150 (tie) | ||
| Optics | 165 | ||
| Pharmacology & Toxicology | 163 (tie) | ||
| Physical Chemistry | 678 (tie) | ||
| Physics | 161 | ||
| Plant & Animal Science | 77 (tie) | ||
| Psychiatry/Psychology | 145 (tie) | ||
| Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | 156 (tie) | ||
| Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging | 218 (tie) | ||
| Social Sciences & Public Health | 176 (tie) | ||
| Space Science | 4 | ||
| Surgery | 129 | ||
| Water Resources | 31 | ||
TheCenter for World University Rankings in 2017 ranked Arizona No. 52 in the world and 34 in the U.S.[79] The 2025Times Higher Education World University Rankings rated University of Arizona No. 136 in the world and No. 45 in the U.S.[80] and the 2017/18QS World University Rankings ranked it 230th.[81]
In 2015,Design Intelligence ranked the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture's (CAPLA) undergraduate program in architecture 10th in the nation for all universities, public and private. The same publication ranked UA ranked 20th in overall undergraduate architecture programs.[82]
Tuition for both fall and spring semesters at the University of Arizona is $12,700 for full-time undergraduate residents and $37,200 for non-residents.[83] As in other states, the cost of tuition has been rising due to the reduction in government support and large increase in administrative staff over teaching staff.[84] Undergraduate students who enrolled in the UA's optional tuition guarantee program in 2014 will remain at $11,591 for residents and $30,745 for non-residents through the 2018–19 academic year. Incoming students enrolled in a bachelor's degree program are automatically eligible for the Guaranteed Tuition Program and will not be subject to tuition increases for 8 continuous semesters (four years).[85] The Guaranteed Tuition Program does not apply to rates for summer and winter sessions.
The UA is considered a "selective" university byU.S. News & World Report.[86]
In the 2014–2015 academic year, 68 freshman students wereNational Merit Scholars.[87]
UA students hail from all states in the U.S. While nearly 69% of students are fromArizona, nearly 11% are from California, and 8% are international.[88]
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 56,466 | 52,103 | 48,202 | 43,540 | 40,854 | 39,941 | 36,166 | 35,236 | 32,723 | 26,481 | 26,329 |
| Admits | 48,369 | 45,195 | 41,996 | 37,064 | 34,557 | 33,714 | 28,433 | 26,961 | 24,417 | 20,546 | 20,251 |
| % Admitted | 85.7 | 86.7 | 85.4 | 85.1 | 84.6 | 84.4 | 78.6 | 76.5 | 74.6 | 77.5 | 76.9 |
| Enrolled | 9,207 | 9,221 | 8,622 | 7,449 | 7,740 | 7,795 | 7,360 | 7,753 | 7,466 | 7,744 | 6,881 |
| Avg GPA | 3.58 | 3.66 | 3.61 | 3.43 | 3.48 | 3.38 | 3.37 | 3.40 | |||
| Average SAT* | 1265 | 1265 | 1275 | 1015–1250 | 1010–1230 | 1010–1230 | 1000–1230 | 990–1220 | |||
| * SAT out of 1600 | |||||||||||
The University of Arizona W.A. Franke Honors College provides a program for over 4,500 students that creates a smaller community feel like that of a liberal arts college within a large research institution. It started in 1962 with an acceptance of seventy-five students and has grown to 5,508 in the academic year 2016–2017.[93] It was renamed from the Honors College to the W.A. Franke Honors College in recognition of a $25 million gift commitment made byWilliam A. "Bill" Franke.[94]
Arizona isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[95] The University of Arizona aims to reach $1 billion annually in research expenditures. The university achieved $954 million in FY2023, which places it among the top 4% of public universities in the nation.[96][97] Arizona is the fourth most awarded public university byNASA for research.[98] The UA was awarded over $325 million for itsLunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) to leadNASA's 2007–08 mission to Mars to explore the Martian Arctic, and $800 million for its OSIRIS-REx mission, the first in U.S. history to sample an asteroid. The LPL's work in theCassini spacecraft orbit aroundSaturn is larger than any other university globally. The U of A laboratory designed and operated the atmospheric radiation investigations and imaging on the probe.[99] The UA operates theHiRISE camera, a part of theMars Reconnaissance Orbiter. While using the HiRISE camera in 2011, UA alumnus Lujendra Ojha and his team discovered proof of liquid water on the surface of Mars—a discovery confirmed by NASA in 2015.[100] UA receives moreNASA grants annually than the next nine top NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory-funded universities combined.[101] As of March 2016[update], the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is actively involved in ten spacecraft missions:Cassini VIMS; Grail; the HiRISE camera orbiting Mars; theJuno mission orbiting Jupiter; Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO); Maven, which will explore Mars' upper atmosphere and interactions with the Sun; Solar Probe Plus, a historic mission into the Sun's atmosphere for the first time; Rosetta's VIRTIS; WISE; and OSIRIS-REx, the first U.S. sample-return mission to a near-Earth asteroid, which launched on September 8, 2016.[102][103]
UA students have been selected asTruman,Rhodes,Goldwater, andFulbright Scholars.[104] According toThe Chronicle of Higher Education, UA is among the top 25 producers of Fulbright awards in the U.S.[105]
UA is a member of theAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy, a consortium of institutions pursuing research in astronomy. The association operates observatories andtelescopes, notablyKitt Peak National Observatory just outside Tucson. UA is a member of theAssociation of American Universities.
ReachingMars in March 2006, theMars Reconnaissance Orbiter contained the HiRISE camera, with Principal InvestigatorAlfred McEwen as the lead on the project. ThisNASA mission to Mars carrying the UA-designed camera is capturing the highest-resolution images of the planet ever seen. The journey of the orbiter was 300 million miles. In August 2007, the UA, under the charge of Peter Smith, led thePhoenix Mars Mission, the first mission completely controlled by a university.[106] Reaching the planet's surface in May 2008, the mission's purpose was to improve knowledge of the Martian Arctic. TheArizona Radio Observatory, a part ofSteward Observatory, operates theSubmillimeter Telescope onMount Graham.
TheNational Science Foundation funded theiPlant Collaborative in 2008 with a $50 million grant.[107] In 2013, iPlant Collaborative received a $50 million renewal grant.[108] Rebranded in late 2015 as "CyVerse", the collaborative cloud-based data management platform is moving beyond life sciences to provide cloud-computing access across all scientific disciplines.[109]
In June 2011, the university announced it would assume full ownership of theBiosphere 2 scientific research facility inOracle, Arizona.[110] Biosphere 2 was constructed by private developers (funded mainly by Texas businessman and philanthropistEd Bass) with its firstclosed system experiment commencing in 1991. The university had been the official management partner of the facility for research purposes since 2007.
In 2018 UA received funding from thePioneer Fund, a non-profit institute which promotesscientific racism[111] andeugenics. The funds were applied for byAurelio Jose Figueredo, who directs the graduate program on human behavior and evolutionary psychology. Funds from the grant were used by Figueredo to attend the 2016London Conference on Intelligence, where presentations on eugenics are given. Figueredo has also reviewed papers forMankind Quarterly, a journal which has advocated for racial hierarchy. Figueredo has disavowed eugenics and racial inferiority.[112][113]
Since 1945 the university has publishedArizona Quarterly, an academicliterary journal.[114][115]
Arizona partnership withUniversidad de Sonora was renewed in August 2017, focusing on a partnership in geology and physics.[116]
Arizona has been part of both theoretical and experimental research in particle and nuclear physics in the framework of theCERN program since 1987. The collaboration was initiated by the theoreticianPeter A. Carruthers, head of the physics department, andJohann Rafelski who initiated thequark-gluon-plasma program at CERN. Arizona officially joined theCERN-LHC ATLAS Collaboration in 1994.[117]
Arizona has a strategic program to attract foreign scholars, in particular from China.[118]
Following a 2024 report by theUnited States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party and theUnited States House Committee on Education and Workforce, Arizona closed its four micro-campuses in China.[119]
According to the 2015–2016 Association of Research Libraries' "Spending by University Research Libraries" report, UA libraries are ranked as the 37th overall university library in North America (out of 114) for university investment.[120]
As of 2012[update], the UA's library system contains over six million print volumes, 1.1 million electronic books, and 74,000 electronic journals.[121] The Main Library, opened in 1976, serves as the library system's reference, periodical, and administrative center; most of the main collections are housed here. The Main Library is on the southeast quadrant of campus nearMcKale Center andArizona Stadium.
In 2002, the Integrated Learning Center (ILC) was completed as a $20 million, 100,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) computer facility intended for use by incoming students.[122] The ILC features classrooms, auditoriums, a courtyard with vending machines, and an expanded computer lab with several dozen workstations and3D printing. Computers and 3D printing are available for use by the general public (with some restrictions) as well as by UA students, faculty and staff.[123]
The Arizona Health Sciences Library, built in 1996, is on the Health Sciences Center on the north end of campus and on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, in the Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB). The library serves the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Veterinary Medicine, the University of Arizona Health Network, and is a resource for health professionals and citizens across the state.
An important part of the Main Library is the Special Collections library. The Special Collections hold rare and archival materials mainly in the areas of literature, Arizona and Southwestern history, and the sciences. The Special Collections also have important and substantial collections relating to the lands and peoples of Arizona and the US-Mexican borderlands region.[124]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 47% | ||
| Hispanic | 28% | ||
| Asian | 5% | ||
| International student | 5% | ||
| Black | 4% | ||
| Two or more races | 5% | ||
| Unknown | 5% | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 2% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 28% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 72% | ||
The University of Arizona recognizes 51fraternity and sorority chapters.[126] As of 2018, more than 16% of students are part of UA's 52-chapter Greek life program.
The University of Arizonamarching band, namedThe Pride of Arizona, played at the halftime of the firstSuper Bowl. Most recently, the Pride's 2014 Daft Punk show was chosen by the CBDNA (College Band Directors National Association) as one of ten in the nation to be presented at their National Conference in March 2015.[127] In 2024, the Pride of Arizona became the 34th recipient of theSudler Trophy.[128]
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Like many large public universities in the U.S., sports are a major activity on campus, and receive a large operating budget. Arizona's athletic teams are nicknamed theWildcats, a name derived from a 1914 football game with then California championsOccidental College, where theL.A. Times asserted, "the Arizona men showed the fight of wildcats."[129] The University of Arizona participates in theNCAA's Division I-A in theBig 12 Conference, which it was admitted in 2024.
Themen's basketball team has been one of the nation's most successful programs sinceLute Olson was hired as head coach in 1983, and is still known as a national powerhouse in Division I men's basketball.[130] Between 1985 and 2009, the team reached the NCAA Tournament 25 consecutive years, which is the third-longest streak inNCAA history, after Kansas, with appearances from 1990–present,North Carolina, with 27 consecutive appearances from 1975 to 2001.[131] The Wildcats have reached theFinal Four of the NCAA tournament in1988,1994,1997, and2001. In 1997, Arizona defeated theUniversity of Kentucky, the then-defending national champions, to win the NCAA National Championship (NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship) by a score of 84–79 overtime; Arizona's first national championship victory. The 1997 championship team became the first and only inNCAA history to defeat three number-one seeds en route to a national title (Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky—the North Carolina game being the final game for longtime UNC head coach Dean Smith). Point guardMiles Simon was chosen as 1997Final Four MVP (Simon was also an assistant coach under Olson from 2005 to 2008). The Cats also boast the third-highest winning percentage in the nation over the last twenty years. Arizona has won a total of 28 regular season conference championships in its program's history, and 6 PAC-12 tournaments. Since 2005, Arizona has produced 17 NBA draft picks.[132][133][134]
The Wildcats play their home games at theMcKale Center in Tucson. A number of former Wildcats have gone on to pursue successful professional NBA careers (especially during the Lute Olson era), includingGilbert Arenas,Richard Jefferson,Mike Bibby,Jason Terry,Sean Elliott,Damon Stoudamire,Khalid Reeves,Luke Walton,Hassan Adams,Salim Stoudamire,Andre Iguodala,Channing Frye, Brian Williams (later known asBison Dele),Sean Rooks,Jud Buechler,Michael Dickerson,Chase Budinger,Jordan Hill,Jerryd Bayless,Derrick Williams,Kadeem Allen,Aaron Gordon,Solomon Hill,Rondae Hollis-Jefferson,Stanley Johnson,T.J McConnell,Lauri Elias Markkanen,Kobi Simmons,Steve Kerr,Deandre Ayton,Rawle Alkins, andAllonzo Trier.Kenny Lofton, now best known as a former Major League Baseball star, was a four-year letter winner as a Wildcat basketball player (and was on the 1988 Final Four team), before one year on the Arizona baseball team. Another notable former Wildcat basketball player isEugene Edgerson, who played on the 1997 and 2001 Final Four squads, and spent some of his professional careers as one of theHarlem Globetrotters as "Wildkat" Edgerson.
Thefootball team began at The University of Arizona in 1899 under the nickname "Varsity" (a name kept until the 1914 season when the team was deemed the "Wildcats").[135]
The football team was notably successful in the 1990s, under head coachDick Tomey; his "Desert Swarm" defense was characterized by tough, hard-nosed tactics. In 1993, the team had its first 10-win season and beat theUniversity of Miami Hurricanes in theFiesta Bowl by a score of 29–0. It was the bowl game's only shutout in its then 23-year history. In 1998, the team posted a school-record 12–1 season and made theHoliday Bowl in which it defeated theNebraska Cornhuskers. Arizona ended the season ranked 4th nationally in the coaches and API poll. The 1998 Holiday Bowl was televised onESPN and set the now-surpassed record of being the most-watched bowl game in the network's history. From November 2003 until October 2011, the program was led byMike Stoops, brother ofBob Stoops, the head football coach at theUniversity of Oklahoma (the 2000BCS national champions); Stoops was fired on October 10, 2011. Former Michigan andWest Virginia head coachRich Rodriguez was hired on November 21, 2011, to lead the Wildcats. The announcement was made by UA athletic directorGreg Byrne via Twitter. In his first season, Rodriguez took the Wildcats to the2012 New Mexico Bowl, where they defeated theUniversity of Nevada Wolf Pack. In his third season, the Wildcats won the Pac-12 South and played in the2014 Fiesta Bowl.[136] In 2015, the Wildcats played in their fourth consecutive bowl game, defeating the University of New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl.[137] In 2017, they lost to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Foster Farms Bowl, the Wildcats 21st bowl game.[138]
Dave Heeke was named Arizona's 13th Director of Athletics in February 2017 and officially started in that role on April 1, 2017. Heeke served as Athletics Director atCentral Michigan University for 11 years and as a staff member in theUniversity of Oregon athletics department for 18 years. (Greg Byrne resigned from the post in January to accept the same role at theUniversity of Alabama.)
Rodriguez was relieved of his duties on January 2, 2018, in the wake of an internal university investigation of sexual harassment claims made by Rodriguez's former administrative assistant.[139] After a nationwide search and much media speculation,Kevin Sumlin was hired on January 14, 2018, as the new Wildcats head football coach. Sumlin was head coach atTexas A&M University and theUniversity of Houston. After a disappointing three-season tenure, with the Wildcats posting a 5–7 (4–5 in Pac-12) record in 2018 and a 4–8 record (2–7 in Pac-12) record in 2019, Sumlin was fired at the conclusion of the 2020 season (a truncated schedule due to theCOVID-19 pandemic).
After a nationwide search and much media speculation, former college and NFL coachJedd Fisch (most recently the QB coach for theNew England Patriots and a previous assistant atUCLA,Michigan,Miami andMinnesota) was chosen as the Wildcats' 32nd head football coach, as announced in December 2020.[140]
The baseball team had its first season in 1904. The baseball team has captured four national championship titles in 1976, 1980, 1986 and 2012, with the first three coached byJerry Kindall and the most recent byAndy Lopez. Arizona baseball teams have appeared in the NCAA National Championship title series a total of 34 times,[141] including 1956, 1959, 1963, 1976, 1980, 1986, 2004, 2012, and 2016. Arizona baseball has appeared in theCollege World Series 18 times. Arizona is 7th all-time in games won in the regular season with 2,347 wins. Home games are played atHi Corbett Field.
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Jay Johnson, previously head coach of theUniversity of Nevada baseball program, succeeded Andy Lopez who retired after the 2015 season.[142] In his first season as head coach, Johnson guided his team to the programs 17th College World Series appearance and 8th championship series appearance.
Johnson resigned from the Wildcat program in June 2021 to accept the head coaching job atLSU.[143] This was after leading the Wildcats to a Pac-12 conference championship and the 18th College World Series appearance in program history; they were eliminated in Omaha byStanford.
In July 2021,Chip Hale was named the new head coach of Arizona baseball.[144] Hale played for the Wildcats under Jerry Kindall and was on the 1986 College World Series championship team; he went on to play, coach and manage in the major leagues for several years, serving as manager of theArizona Diamondbacks in 2015 and 2016, and most recently serving as the third base coach of theDetroit Tigers.
Arizona baseball also has a student section named The Hot Corner. Seventy-five former Arizona baseball players have played in the Major Leagues. Famous alums includeTerry Francona,Kenny Lofton,Shelley Duncan,Trevor Hoffman,Mark Melancon,Chip Hale,Craig Lefferts,J. T. Snow,Don Lee,Carl Thomas,Jack Howell,Mike Paul,Dan Schneider,Rich Hinton,Ed Vosberg,Hank Leiber,Ron Hassey,Brad Mills,Joe Magrane,Alex Mejia,Dave Baldwin,Brian Anderson,Jack Daugherty,Scott Erickson,Gil Heredia,Casey Candaele,George Arias, andScott Kingery.
The University of Arizona women's soccer team[145] wrapped up their 2017 season on Nov. 17 in the second round of theNCAA Tournament, finishing with an 11–5–4 record, and seven Pac-12 wins, the most in program history.
Led by coach Tony Amato, Arizona's seniors became the first group in program history to make threeNCAA Tournament appearances, winning at least one match in each Tournament. The program had only two appearances in its history prior to the last four years. Ten members received PAC-12 academic honors for their performance in the classroom.
The Arizona softball team is among the top programs in the country. The softball team has won eight NCAA Women's College World Series titles, in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2007 under head coachMike Candrea (NCAA Softball Championship). The team has appeared in the NCAA National Championship in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 1998, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2010 (a feat second only to UCLA), and has reached the College World Series 19 times. The Arizona Wildcats softball team won their first Pac-12 Championship in ten years after defeating the No. 12 UCLA Bruins 7–2, and qualified for its 31st consecutive NCAA tournament, creating a new NCAA softball record.[146] Coach Candrea, along with former Arizona pitcherJennie Finch, led the 2004 U.S. Olympic softball team to a gold medal in Athens, Greece. The Wildcat softball team plays at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium.
The university's golf teams have also been notably successful. The men's team won a national championship in 1992 (NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships), and has produced a number of successful professionals, most notablyJim Furyk. The women's team won national championships in 1996, 2000 and 2018 (NCAA Women's Golf Championship). The women's golf program has produced professionalsAnnika Sörenstam,Lorena Ochoa, andErica Blasberg.
Thelacrosse club team was founded in the mid-1960s. In the 1960s, Arizona was a Division I varsity program, coached byCarl Runk, an Arizona graduate and football player. In 1998, Runk retired after twenty-eight years atTowson University inMaryland.[147]
Many other Wildcats have met with success at the university.Alix Creek andMichelle Oldham won the NCAA Women's Doubles Tennis title in 1993, defeating Texas in the Final. Although surprising to some, the University of Arizona has a noteworthy history inice hockey. The school's club hockey team, formerly known as theIcecats, won over 800 games between its inception in 1979 and 2011. The Ice Cats defeatedPenn State for the National Collegiate Club Hockey National Championship in 1985. They also appeared in eight Final Fours ('84, '86, '87, '88, '91, '93, '94, '97) and ten Elite Eights. As of 2011[update], they are part ofACHA Division I, and are known formally as theArizona Wildcats hockey team. Robert M. Tanita was a nationally ranked collegiate wrestler who reached the NCAA finals tournament as WAC champion in 1963.[148]
Three national championships forsynchronized swimming were won in 1980, 1981, and 1984, though these championships were in theAssociation of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, and not theNCAA. Along with winning three national championships in the pool for synchronized swimming, the Wildcats have also won their firstNCAA Championship in men and women's swimming and diving for the seasons of 2007–2008. Topping off these weekendsFrank Busch, the men and women's head coach, was namedNCAA Swimming Coach of the Year. Arizona men became the first team to claim a first-time title since UCLA's win in 1982. Also, the men ended Texas and Auburn's winning streak since 1998. At the end of the meet, theTexas Longhorns took second while 2007's champion, theAuburn Tigers, took fifth. For the women, Arizona worked on the disappointment of 2007's defeat. The women were winning until the last day when Auburn grasped the title. Unlike 2007, Arizona's women did not let anyone come close. The Wildcats won with 484 team points while the Auburn Tigers came in second with 348 and theStanford Cardinal in third with 343. Student-athletes from the women's swimming and diving team have been particularly heralded by the NCAA. TheNCAA Woman of the Year Award was won by UA swimmers Whitney Myers, Lacey Nymeyer and Justine Schluntz in 2007, 2009 and 2010 respectively. The three awards and the 1994 award won by track and field athlete Tanya Hughes are the highest number of Woman of the Year awards won by a single university.[149]
A number of notable individuals have also won national championships in theNCAA. Arizona's first NCAA Individual Champion in the sport of Men's Swimming came in 1981 when Doug Towne won the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA championships. Another individual champion occurred in 1989 when Mariusz Podkoscielny won the 1650-yard (mile) at the NCAA National Championships held at the IUPUI Natatorium. Some other champion swimmers includeCrissy Ahmann-Leighton,Ryk Neethling,Margo Geer,Kevin Cordes, andAmanda Beard.Annika Sörenstam won in 1991 in golf, andBrigetta Barrett won the women's high jump in 2013. The men'scross country has also produced two individual national titles in 1986 (Aaron Ramirez) and 1994 (Martin Keino) (NCAA Men's Cross Country Champions). The women's cross country also produced two individual national titles in 1996 (Amy Skieresz) and 2001 (Tara Chaplin) (NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship). Another notable individual was football standoutVance Johnson who won the NCAA long jump in 1982.
A strong athletic rivalry exists between the University of Arizona andArizona State University inTempe, Arizona. The University of Arizona leads the all-time record against Arizona State University in men's basketball (149–83), as well as in football (49–42–1). The football rivalry game between the schools is known as "The Duel in the Desert". The trophy awarded after each game is theTerritorial Cup. Rivalries have also been created with otherPac-12 teams, especially theUniversity of California, Los Angeles which has proved to be a worthysoftball rival and was Arizona's main basketball rival for most of 1990s.
The university's mascots are a pair ofanthropomorphizedwildcats namedWilbur and Wilma. The human figures behind Wilbur and Wilma are kept secret through the year as the mascots appear only in costume. In 1986, Wilbur married his longtime wildcat girlfriend, Wilma. Together, Wilbur and Wilma appear along with thecheerleading squad at most Wildcat sporting events.[150] Arizona's first mascot was a real desertbobcat named "Rufus Arizona", introduced in 1915.[151]
"Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" is the officialfight song of the UA. While "Bear Down, Arizona!" is the more recognizable fight song attributed to the university, it was written 23 years after "Fight!" and is now described as the official motto of theArizona Wildcats.[152]
In 1952 Jack K. Lee, the new director of the UA's band, saw the words "BEAR DOWN" written on the university's gymnasium and was inspired to create the music and lyrics for a fight song by that name.[153] The UA fans were delighted when the song was played during athletic events, and "Bear Down, Arizona!" became accepted as the unofficial fight song.[153][43]
Officially implemented in 2003, ZonaZoo is the official student section and student ticketing program for the University of Arizona Athletics. The ZonaZoo program is co-owned by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA) and Arizona Athletics yet run by a team of individuals called the ZonaZoo Crew. In 2014, ESPN ranked ZonaZoo as the top student cheering section in the PAC 12 conference and in 2015, and in 2018, ZonaZoo received the Best Student Section of the Year award from the National Collegiate Student Section Association.[154]
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