The University of Michigan-Flint is an urban center of learning, research, and civic engagement, and is part of the internationally-renowned University of Michigan System. For over 50 years, UM-Flint has been committed to the highest standards of teaching, scholarship, and creative endeavors.

That commitment is re-enforced through the mission of the university, which rests on three pillars: academic excellence, student centeredness and engaged citizenship.

The urban location affords an opportunity to provide a University of Michigan education to students with varied life experiences.

UM-Flint students choose from over 100 undergraduate and 27 graduate programs in the liberal arts and in a number of professional and pre-professional fields. Over 400 faculty members are devoted to the university's standard of excellence in teaching, and the knowledge, skills, and talents of 350 full-time staff members contribute to the success of UM-Flint and the surrounding community.

The history of UM-Flint is a story of cooperation between the Flint community and the University of Michigan. It was in 1956 that the community celebrated the opening of a two-year senior college. As time passed, there was a call for major changes in the college. The Flint Board of Education proposed that the University of Michigan expand the senior college to a four-year institution. The U-M Board of Regents adopted the proposal in 1964. The first freshman class was admitted the next year making the Flint College the first four-year University of Michigan program offered outside of Ann Arbor.

In 1971, the Regents officially changed the name of the institution from Flint College to the University of Michigan-Flint.

Responding to the needs of the community in the 1970’s, an Academic Planning Board identified major areas of program development for the university, including professional and career-oriented programs. Those programs eventually led to the establishment of graduate degrees, new academic units, service units, WFUM-TV, and the expansion of the campus into downtown Flint.

Through the combined efforts of Flint citizens and city government, the university acquired 42 acres along the Flint River in 1971. The campus occupied its first building in 1977. The general classroom-office building (named the David M. French Hall in 2000) housed a theatre and library. The University Center opened in 1979 and the Recreation Building opened in 1982.

In 1988, the William R. Murchie Science Building was dedicated. Three years later, UM-Flint took possession of the University Pavilion (formerly Waterstreet Pavilion) from the city. As a result of generous donations, the Frances Willson Thompson Library opened in 1994.

The campus acquired an additional 25 acres immediately north of the Flint River in 1997, where the William S. White Building was completed in 2002. A grant from the Charles S. Mott Foundation provided the university with funds to assist with the construction and programming of new facilities on the north site. The White Building houses the School of Management, the School of Health Professions and Studies, the Early Childhood Development Center, the Urban Health and Wellness Center, WFUM-TV, and the Department of Communications and Visual Arts.

The most exciting example of continuous progress occurred in July of 2007 when the campus community broke ground for the first-ever student housing facility. The modern, 310-bed residence hall will be completed and fully-occupied by fall 2008. This is the first step of moving from a commuter to residential campus to better serve the area’s needs.

New programs, technologies, resources, and facilities assist our students in becoming true leaders in their careers and their communities, and in an ever-changing world. The University of Michigan-Flint is guided by its mission, and strives to provide an environment where students explore, engage, and excel.

For international admissions information, e-mail: international-student-center@umflint.edu or visit http://www.umflint.edu/admissions/