Here you’ll find 69 Colleges that start with U that begin with U, organized from “Union College” to “Utrecht University”. They range from small liberal-arts colleges to large research universities across several countries, useful for students, parents, and counselors.
Colleges that start with U are higher-education institutions whose common English names begin with the letter U. Some, like Utrecht University, trace origins to medieval study, while others are modern specialized colleges.
Below you’ll find the table with Name, Location, Founded, and Notable alumni.
Name: The official college name used for searching and identification; you can click or scan it to find each institution’s profile.
Location: City and country or state help you judge distance, regional options, and campus setting at a glance.
Founded: The verified founding year gives historical context, helping you compare institutional age and tradition quickly.
Notable alumni: One to three high-profile graduates highlight each school’s impact and offer examples of career paths you might pursue.
Colleges that start with U
| Name | City/State/Country | Founding year | Notable alumni |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ, USA | 1885 | Kourtney Kardashian; Steve Kerr |
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR, USA | 1871 | Bill Clinton; Hillary Clinton; J. William Fulbright |
| University of Bologna | Bologna, Italy | 1088 | Dante Alighieri; Copernicus |
| University of British Columbia | Vancouver, BC, Canada | 1908 | Justin Trudeau; Kim Campbell; William Gibson |
| University of Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1821 | Che Guevara; 5 Nobel laureates; 16 Argentinian Presidents |
| University of Calgary | Calgary, AB, Canada | 1966 | James Gosling; Stephen Harper |
| University of Cambridge | Cambridge, England, UK | 1209 | Isaac Newton; Charles Darwin; Alan Turing |
| University of Cape Town | Cape Town, South Africa | 1829 | J.M. Coetzee; Christiaan Barnard; Max Theiler |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL, USA | 1890 | Bernie Sanders; Satya Nadella; Carl Sagan |
| University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO, USA | 1876 | Trey Parker; Matt Stone; Robert Redford |
| University of Copenhagen | Copenhagen, Denmark | 1479 | Søren Kierkegaard; Niels Bohr |
| University of Dublin | Dublin, Ireland | 1592 | Oscar Wilde; Samuel Beckett; Mary Robinson |
| University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK | 1583 | Charles Darwin; Arthur Conan Doyle; Alexander Graham Bell |
| University of Florida | Gainesville, FL, USA | 1853 | Tim Tebow; Erin Andrews; Stephen Stills |
| University of Geneva | Geneva, Switzerland | 1559 | Jean-Jacques Rousseau; Kofi Annan |
| University of Glasgow | Glasgow, Scotland, UK | 1451 | Adam Smith; James Watt |
| University of Helsinki | Helsinki, Finland | 1640 | Linus Torvalds; Jean Sibelius; Tarja Halonen |
| University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China | 1911 | Sun Yat-sen; Eileen Chang |
| University of Ibadan | Ibadan, Nigeria | 1948 | Wole Soyinka; Chinua Achebe |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA | 1867 | Jack Welch; Roger Ebert |
| University of Leeds | Leeds, England, UK | 1904 | Chris Pine; Keir Starmer |
| University of Malaya | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 1905 | Mahathir Mohamad |
| University of Manchester | Manchester, England, UK | 2004 | Benedict Cumberbatch; Brian Cox |
| University of Maryland, College Park | College Park, MD, USA | 1856 | Sergey Brin; Jim Henson; Connie Chung |
| University of Melbourne | Melbourne, VIC, Australia | 1853 | Julia Gillard; Cate Blanchett; Germaine Greer |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI, USA | 1817 | Tom Brady; Larry Page; James Earl Jones |
| University of Minnesota | Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN, USA | 1851 | Bob Dylan; Hubert Humphrey |
| Université de Montréal | Montreal, QC, Canada | 1878 | Pierre Trudeau; Denys Arcand |
| University of Nairobi | Nairobi, Kenya | 1956 | Wangari Maathai |
| University of New South Wales | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 1949 | Scott Morrison; Rebel Wilson |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC, USA | 1789 | Michael Jordan; James K. Polk; Andy Griffith |
| University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN, USA | 1842 | Condoleezza Rice; Joe Montana; Regis Philbin |
| University of Oregon | Eugene, OR, USA | 1876 | Phil Knight; Ty Burrell |
| University of Oslo | Oslo, Norway | 1811 | Gro Harlem Brundtland; 5 Nobel laureates |
| University of Ottawa | Ottawa, ON, Canada | 1848 | Alex Trebek; Paul Martin |
| University of Oxford | Oxford, England, UK | 1096 | Stephen Hawking; J.R.R. Tolkien; 28 UK Prime Ministers |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA, USA | 1740 | Elon Musk; Donald Trump; John Legend |
| University of the Philippines | Quezon City, Philippines | 1908 | 7 Philippine Presidents; Jose Maria Sison |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA, USA | 1787 | Jonas Salk; Gene Kelly; Fred Rogers |
| University of Pretoria | Pretoria, South Africa | 1908 | Elon Musk (attended briefly); Anton Rupert |
| University of Queensland | Brisbane, QLD, Australia | 1909 | Geoffrey Rush; Peter C. Doherty |
| University of San Diego | San Diego, CA, USA | 1949 | Jim Parsons; Theo Epstein |
| University of São Paulo | São Paulo, Brazil | 1934 | Fernando Henrique Cardoso; Vahan Agopyan |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA, USA | 1880 | George Lucas; Neil Armstrong; Will Ferrell |
| University of St Andrews | St Andrews, Scotland, UK | 1413 | Prince William; Catherine, Princess of Wales |
| University of Sydney | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 1850 | Malcolm Turnbull; John Howard; Rose Byrne |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX, USA | 1883 | Matthew McConaughey; Kevin Durant; Laura Bush |
| University of Tokyo | Tokyo, Japan | 1877 | 17 Prime Ministers of Japan; numerous Nobel laureates |
| University of Toronto | Toronto, ON, Canada | 1827 | Margaret Atwood; Donald Sutherland; Lester B. Pearson |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT, USA | 1850 | John Warnock; Ed Catmull; Nolan Bushnell |
| University of Vienna | Vienna, Austria | 1365 | Sigmund Freud; Erwin Schrödinger |
| University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA, USA | 1819 | Tina Fey; Edgar Allan Poe; Katie Couric |
| University of Washington | Seattle, WA, USA | 1861 | Bruce Lee; Bill Gates Sr.; Joe Sutter |
| University of Waterloo | Waterloo, ON, Canada | 1957 | Mike Lazaridis; Rupi Kaur |
| University of Western Australia | Perth, WA, Australia | 1911 | Bob Hawke; Barry Marshall |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI, USA | 1848 | Frank Lloyd Wright; Dick Cheney; Charles Lindbergh |
| University of Zurich | Zurich, Switzerland | 1833 | Albert Einstein; Wilhelm Röntgen |
| Union College | Schenectady, NY, USA | 1795 | Jimmy Carter; Chester A. Arthur |
| United Arab Emirates University | Al Ain, UAE | 1976 | Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
| United States Air Force Academy | Colorado Springs, CO, USA | 1954 | Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy | Kings Point, NY, USA | 1943 | Sean Connery (honorary) |
| United States Military Academy | West Point, NY, USA | 1802 | Ulysses S. Grant; Dwight D. Eisenhower; Buzz Aldrin |
| United States Naval Academy | Annapolis, MD, USA | 1845 | Jimmy Carter; John McCain; David Robinson |
| University College London | London, England, UK | 1826 | Alexander Graham Bell; Mahatma Gandhi; Chris Martin |
| Uppsala University | Uppsala, Sweden | 1477 | Carl Linnaeus; Anders Celsius; Håkan Nesser |
| Ursinus College | Collegeville, PA, USA | 1869 | J.D. Salinger |
| Utah State University | Logan, UT, USA | 1888 | Harry Reid; Merlin Olsen |
| Utah Valley University | Orem, UT, USA | 1941 | Chelsie Hightower |
| Utrecht University | Utrecht, Netherlands | 1636 | Christiaan Huygens; 12 Nobel laureates |
Descriptions
University of Arizona
A public land-grant research university, fully accredited and renowned for its programs in astronomy, optics, and planetary sciences.
University of Arkansas
The flagship public university in Arkansas, this accredited land-grant institution is known for its strong business and architecture programs.
University of Bologna
The oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world, this accredited public institution is a cornerstone of European higher education.
University of British Columbia
A top-tier public research university, recognized globally and known for its stunning campus and commitment to sustainability.
University of Buenos Aires
Argentina’s largest university and one of the most prestigious in Latin America, this accredited public institution offers free education.
University of Calgary
A major public research university in Canada, recognized for its leadership in energy innovation and its entrepreneurial spirit.
University of Cambridge
One of the world’s most prestigious public universities, recognized for its historic colleges and groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
University of Cape Town
Africa’s top-ranked university, this accredited public institution is globally recognized for its research and beautiful campus on Table Mountain.
University of Chicago
A world-renowned private research university, fully accredited and famous for its rigorous academics and association with over 90 Nobel laureates.
University of Colorado Boulder
The flagship public university of Colorado, accredited and a leading institution in aerospace engineering, physics, and environmental sciences.
University of Copenhagen
Denmark’s oldest and largest university, this recognized public institution is a leading center for research in Northern Europe.
University of Dublin
Ireland’s oldest and most prestigious university, this recognized public institution is famous for its historic campus and the Book of Kells.
University of Edinburgh
A historic public research university in Scotland’s capital, renowned for its role in the Scottish Enlightenment and modern AI research.
University of Florida
A major public research university in the US, accredited and known for its strong athletics program and large student body of over 50,000.
University of Geneva
A public research university founded by John Calvin, internationally recognized for its role in multilateral diplomacy and scientific research.
University of Glasgow
The fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world, this accredited public institution is a hub of research and Scottish culture.
University of Helsinki
Finland’s oldest and largest university, this recognized public institution is known for its high-quality research and bilingual instruction.
University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s oldest tertiary institution, this accredited public university is consistently ranked among the best in Asia and the world.
University of Ibadan
Nigeria’s oldest degree-awarding institution, this accredited public university is renowned for its strong programs in arts and humanities.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
A top-tier public research university and land-grant institution, accredited and known for its pioneering work in computing and engineering.
University of Leeds
One of the largest universities in the UK, this accredited public institution is a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group.
University of Malaya
Malaysia’s oldest and most esteemed university, this accredited public institution is consistently ranked as a top university in Southeast Asia.
University of Manchester
A major public research university in the UK, recognized for its industrial heritage and where the atom was first split.
University of Maryland, College Park
The flagship public university of Maryland, accredited and a leading research institution located just outside Washington, D.C.
University of Melbourne
A top-ranked public research university in Australia, nationally recognized as a leader in education and a member of the Group of Eight.
University of Michigan
A top-ranked public research university in the US, accredited and celebrated for its vast research enterprise and strong school spirit.
University of Minnesota
A major public research university, accredited and one of the largest in the US by enrollment, with a strong focus on research and discovery.
Université de Montréal
One of Canada’s largest French-language universities, this accredited public institution is a major hub for research in Quebec.
University of Nairobi
Kenya’s oldest and largest university, this accredited public institution is a leading center for higher education in East and Central Africa.
University of New South Wales
A globally ranked public research university, nationally recognized as a powerhouse in engineering, technology, and business in Australia.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The first public university in the US, this accredited “Public Ivy” is acclaimed for its strong academics and legendary basketball program.
University of Notre Dame
A renowned private Catholic research university, accredited and famous for its iconic “Golden Dome” and strong national athletic programs.
University of Oregon
A public flagship research university, accredited and known for its strong connection to Nike and its innovative programs in sustainable design.
University of Oslo
Norway’s oldest university, this recognized public institution is known for its academic tradition and for hosting Nobel Prize ceremonies.
University of Ottawa
The world’s largest bilingual (English-French) university, this accredited public institution is located in Canada’s capital city.
University of Oxford
The oldest university in the English-speaking world, this globally renowned public institution is famous for its tutorial-based teaching system.
University of Pennsylvania
A prestigious Ivy League private research university founded by Benjamin Franklin, accredited and known for its Wharton School of Business.
University of the Philippines
The national university system of the Philippines, this accredited public institution is a premier center for learning and research in the country.
University of Pittsburgh
A state-related public research university, accredited and highly regarded for its medical research, including the development of the polio vaccine.
University of Pretoria
One of South Africa’s largest research-intensive universities, this accredited public institution is known for its veterinary science program.
University of Queensland
A leading public research university in Australia’s Group of Eight, recognized for creating the HPV vaccine (Gardasil).
University of San Diego
A private Catholic university, accredited and recognized for its stunning Spanish Renaissance architecture and highly-ranked programs.
University of São Paulo
Brazil’s largest and most prestigious public university, internationally recognized as a leading institution for research in Latin America.
University of Southern California
A leading private research university, fully accredited and famed for its School of Cinematic Arts, producing many Hollywood icons.
University of St Andrews
Scotland’s first university, this accredited public institution is known for its ancient traditions and highly-ranked arts and humanities programs.
University of Sydney
Australia’s first university, this accredited public institution is known for its beautiful sandstone campus and strong global rankings.
University of Texas at Austin
The flagship institution of the University of Texas System, a major public research university accredited and known for its vibrant campus life.
University of Tokyo
Japan’s most prestigious university, this accredited public institution is a world-leader in research and a member of the Top Type universities.
University of Toronto
Canada’s largest university, globally recognized as a leading public institution for research and innovation, and the birthplace of insulin.
University of Utah
A top-tier public research university and flagship institution in Utah, recognized for its programs in medicine, genetics, and computer graphics.
University of Vienna
The oldest university in the German-speaking world, this accredited public institution has a rich history and numerous Nobel laureates.
University of Virginia
A prestigious “Public Ivy” founded by Thomas Jefferson, accredited and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Monticello.
University of Washington
A leading public research university on the West Coast, fully accredited and noted for its highly-ranked medical school and computer science programs.
University of Waterloo
A public research university in Canada, world-renowned for its cooperative education (co-op) programs and strengths in math and computer science.
University of Western Australia
A leading public research university in Western Australia, recognized for its picturesque campus and Nobel Prize-winning research.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The flagship public university of Wisconsin, accredited and recognized as a top research institution with a strong tradition of public service.
University of Zurich
Switzerland’s largest university, this accredited public institution is a leading research university with numerous Nobel laureates.
Union College
A private liberal arts college, accredited and historically significant as one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in New York.
United Arab Emirates University
The first and foremost comprehensive national university in the UAE, accredited and offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.
United States Air Force Academy
A U.S. service academy, fully accredited, that educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Space Force.
United States Merchant Marine Academy
A U.S. service academy, fully accredited, that trains officers for the U.S. Merchant Marine, branches of the military, and transportation industry.
United States Military Academy
Known as West Point, this is a premier U.S. service academy, fully accredited, for commissioning officers into the U.S. Army.
United States Naval Academy
A prestigious U.S. service academy, fully accredited, that educates officers for commissioning into the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
University College London
A leading public research university in London, recognized as the first in England to admit students regardless of religion or gender.
Uppsala University
The oldest university in the Nordic countries, this recognized public institution is renowned for its long history of scientific excellence.
Ursinus College
A private liberal arts college, fully accredited and known for its Common Intellectual Experience, a unique first-year seminar program.
Utah State University
A public land-grant research university in Utah, accredited and recognized for its programs in agriculture, engineering, and aerospace.
Utah Valley University
A large public university in Utah, accredited and known for its dual-mission model, combining a community college and university.
Utrecht University
One of Europe’s leading research universities, this accredited public institution is consistently ranked among the world’s best.