Is the University of Nebraska Lincoln a Good School

Many students flock to public flagship institutions for top-notch education for less.

Unfortunately, not all of them provide the best bang for the buck. It is especially true for out-of-state students to increase diversity and generate additional revenue — non-residents pay more in tuition.

One college ranking site after the other agrees that the University of Nebraska Lincoln offers great value.

UNL is ideal, too, for those interested in undergraduate business, engineering, and agricultural sciences programs, all of which are some of its most highly-ranked academic offerings.

With a Carnegie R1 designation for having high research activity, it’s also perfect for intellectually curious students desiring to partake in rigorous academic investigations.

University of Nebraska Lincoln
University of Nebraska Lincoln

The Rankings Reveal So Much

College rankings are subjective, and you should take them with a grain of salt.

Period.

While you should not pick a college alone based on its rankings, you can safely assume that you are about to put the right school on your college list if various ranking sites say pretty much the same thing about it.

US News Got Some Great News

US News ranks UNL #159 in National Universities and #84 in Top Public Schools.

Its #108 in Best Value Schools ranking by the same well-known college ranker means it’s one of the top institutions for those who are looking for a high-quality education for less.

Engineering programs are some of those that Nebraska shines in.

Proof?

It’s ranked #82 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs by US News.

Other US News-ranked undergraduate programs include:

  • Agricultural Sciences
  • Business
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • Psychology

The Princeton Review Says It’s One of the Best 389 Schools

With almost 4,000 degree-granting institutions in the United States, it’s a big feat to be one of the approximately 10% of schools included in The Princeton Review’s The Best 389 Colleges.

Yup, Lincoln is one of them!

It’s also #19 in the Students Love Their School Teams category. It’s about student assessments of the likeability and popularity of intercollegiate sports at their respective schools.

Here are some other listings of The Princeton Review that include UNL:

  • Best Value Colleges
  • Best Midwest
  • Green Colleges

Niche Ranks UNL Nationally and Locally

Niche gives Nebraska the following national college rankings:

  • #68 in Best Big Colleges in America
  • #80 in Top Public Universities in America
  • #184 in Best College Campuses in America
  • #188 in Best Colleges in America
  • #232 in Colleges with the Best Academics in America

On the other hand, locally, it has these rankings by the same college ranker:

  • #1 in Best Colleges in Nebraska
  • #1 in Top Public Universities in Nebraska
  • #2 in Best College Campuses in Nebraska
  • #2 in Colleges with the Best Academics in Nebraska
  • #6 in Best Value Colleges in Nebraska

Academic Life at a Research Institution

With a Carnegie R1 designation, UNL boasts of very high research activity.

However, there’s more to learn than the school being a wonderful school for those interested in research-heavy courses and endeavors to ensure a well-rounded undergraduate education.

It’s nice that there are plenty of academic majors to choose from. There are also opportunities to study abroad and, as expected, have research opportunities, which can be beneficial for pursuing postgraduate studies.

UNL is a great place to get the college experience. Many of the programs and colleges are great and receive great honors, but many students get left behind. It seems as if you do not start off at UNL knowing exactly what you want to do and getting perfect grades the professors and the university leave you behind.

Niche.com

Choose a Major and Graduate in Four Years

As a Lincoln undergraduate student, you can choose from 150+ majors.

Some of the most popular majors at UNL include:

  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Management
  • Agricultural Science
  • Veterinary Science
  • Communication
  • Journalism
  • Public Relations
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Information Science
  • Family and Consumer Sciences

UNL has a four-year graduation guarantee.

It includes selecting a major as early as your third semester and staying with it. There are also other steps to take, including meeting with your academic advisor every semester.

University of Nebraska, Lincoln-0105

Online Programs for Adult Learners

Providing distance learning for more than 100 years, Nebraska has a variety of online degree programs.

What’s nice about its programs available on the web is that online students will earn the same degree as their on-campus peers. It means that employers will recognize and accept your online degree from it.

UNL has numerous online undergraduate certificates, and they include those in disciplines such as:

  • Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
  • Business
  • Education and Human Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Journalism and Mass Communications

Unfortunately, its online undergraduate degree programs are limited to the following:

  • Bachelor of Applied Science
  • Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education in a Mobile Society

Round Out Your Major by Studying Abroad

Do you want to have an experience studying outside of the United States?

The first step is not getting a passport but attending Huskers Abroad 101 and Huskers Abroad 102, which are workshops about the program types available and funding your global studies.

UNL recommends picking a study-abroad experience that complements your chosen major.

These are the study-abroad programs available based on duration:

  • Short-term
  • Semester
  • Academic year

Meanwhile, the Nebraska study-abroad program options according to type:

  • Faculty-led programs
  • Exchange programs
  • Bilateral exchange programs
  • International student exchange programs
  • MAUI-Utrecht network exchange programs

Conduct Research and Change the World

UNL has various academic centers that enhance scholarly and faculty research.

Some of them include:

  • Bureau of Sociological Research
  • Center for Digital Research in Humanities
  • Center for Economic Education
  • Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education
  • Family Resource Center
  • Harris Center for Judaic Studies
  • Nebraska Governance and Technology Center
  • Nebraska Public Policy Center

These research centers conduct research, evaluate programs as well as teach and train students.

Meanwhile, the knowledge and innovations obtained by staff and faculty members in these centers are shared to educate scholars, policymakers, service providers, and the general public.

Everyday Life at a Flagship Public Research University

These couple of Niche rankings will give you an idea of what your Nebraska campus life would be like:

  • #1 in Colleges with the Best Student Life in Nebraska
  • #122 in Colleges with the Best Student Life in America

You will spend the next four years of your academic life on its 861-acre beautiful suburban campus while working on your undergraduate degree. That’s why it’s essential to learn about campus life.

Your First Year Spent Residing on Campus

At UNL, all first-time, first-year students must live on campus for one academic year.

Meeting any of these criteria gets you off the hook:

  • Being married
  • Being 19 or older
  • Enrolled in less than six credits

There are 14 residence halls — 12 on the city campus and two on the east campus.

You can choose from the following on-campus residence types:

  • Traditional halls
  • Suite-style
  • Apartment-style

Helping on-campus residents to have a productive and transformational experience is the Nebraska Residential Experience. It develops an engaging community and connects residents to campus resources.

There really is no place like Nebraska. The community is so welcoming, the staff is very willing to help. I’ve had very few bad experiences with professors and a lot of great ones. The school really wants to help students succeed and does everything they can to ensure student safety.

Niche.com

Being a Husker: Athletic Life at UNL

There are 21 varsity teams at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Known as the Nebraska Cornhuskers or the Huskers, they compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. They are also participants in the Big Ten Conference.

The Huskers shine the brightest in the following sports:

  • Gymnastics
  • Football
  • Bowling
  • Volleyball
  • Track and field

There’s no need to be a student-athlete to participate in sports.

It’s because there are various sports clubs where members can compete with one another to develop their athletic skills, enhance their dedication and discipline, and improve their interest in specific sports.

Some of the student organizations sports-wise available are the following:

  • Bowling Club
  • Judo Club
  • Husker Bass Anglers
  • Men’s Rugby Club
  • Pickleball Club UNL
  • Red Diamonds
  • Roundnet Club

Greek Life is Big and Beneficial

Here’s one crucial matter you need to know about Greek life at UNL:

It’s big!

So much so that 25% of all male undergraduate students are members of fraternities, while 33% of all female undergraduate students are members of sororities. Combined, that’s equivalent to 4,000+ students.

There are over 50 Greek-letter organizations on campus.

Refrain from assuming that frats and sororities are all about drinking and partying.

Believe it or not, many positive things come with partaking in campus Greek life, and that is why UNL is proud that it’s home to one of the most dynamic fraternity and sorority communities in the US.

Some of the perks of being a member of a fraternity and sorority are:

  • Housing option
  • Leadership skills
  • Volunteering
  • Community service
  • Fundraising
  • Above-average GPA

Niche ranks UNL #1 in Best Greek Life Colleges in Nebraska and #143 in Best Greek Life Colleges in America.

It’s the Top Party School in Nebraska

There’s another big thing on Nebraska’s campus:

The party scene!

According to students, party options are plenty from Wednesdays to Saturdays. There are also decent fraternity and sorority parties on campus, although they mostly happen on weekends.

The following Niche rankings speak volumes about how much a party school UNL is:

  • #1 in Top Party Schools in Nebraska
  • #132 in Top Party Schools in America

It cannot be denied that football games are the biggest social events of the year.

To help keep everyone who parties off campus out of harm’s way, the Student Affairs office of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln has this helpful post on keeping a good night from ending in a nightmare.


Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the College Reality Check.

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