University Of Georgia

The University of Georgia (commonly referred to as UGA, U. Georgia or simply Georgia) is an American land grant, sea grant, space grant, research university with its primary campus located on a 759-acre (3.07 km2) campus in Athens, Georgia, USA. It is the flagship university of the state of Georgia.

Founded in 1785 as the United States's first state-chartered university, it is the oldest and largest of Georgia's institutions of higher learning and along with the College of William and Mary and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill claims the title of the oldest public university in the United States. The university's historic North Campus is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as a designated historic district.

The university is ranked 21st overall among all public national universities in the current 2013 U.S. News & World Report rankings and consistently ranks within the top 200 universities worldwide across numerous publications. The University of Georgia is considered a "Public Ivy", a designation reserved for the top public universities in the United States.

The University of Georgia is a part of the University System of Georgia and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UGA is classified as a 'Research University/Very High Activity', according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

The University of Georgia offers over 140 degree programs in a wide array of disciplines. Consisting of thirteen libraries spread across multiple campuses, UGA Libraries contains a total of 4.7 million volumes and one of nation’s largest map collections. The University of Georgia is one of 126 member institutions that comprise the Association of Research Libraries.

University of Georgia is organized into eighteen schools and colleges. The university has three main campuses; the largest one is the main campus in Athens, Georgia and the two others are located in Tifton, Georgia and Griffin, Georgia. The University of Georgia also has two satellite campuses located in Atlanta and Lawrenceville. The University operates several service and outreach stations spread across the state. The primary campus occupies 389 buildings on 759 acres. Total acreage utilized by the university, located in 30 Georgia counties, amounts to 39,950-acre (161.7 km2). The University of Georgia also owns three international residential and research centers located at Oxford University in Oxford, England, Cortona, Italy and Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Student athletics, both organized and intramural, are an important part of student and alumni life. The University of Georgia's intercollegiate sports teams, commonly known by their "Georgia Bulldogs" nickname, compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In their 121-year history, the university's varsity sports teams have won 39 national championships and 130 conference championships. The Georgia Redcoat Marching Band, the official marching band of the university, plays at sports and other events.

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