University of Kansas

In 1866, the University of Kansas welcomed the first class of 55 students to an unfinished building on a modest hill called Mount Oread. From that treeless ridge, KU flourished into the state's flagship institution — a premier research university that claims nearly 30,000 enrolled students across five campuses. We call ourselves Jayhawks. These mythical birds embody the KU community's guiding values: perseverance, positivity, and restless innovation. We fly high because we start at the top.