University of Cincinnati

About the **University of Cincinnati** **Innovation rooted in experience. Community built for life.** The University of Cincinnati is a top-tier public research university and the birthplace of cooperative education. For more than 200 years, UC has connected learning with real-world experience, preparing students to graduate with confidence, career readiness and lifelong community. From Cincinnati to cities across the globe, Bearcats are building what’s next. **What is the University of Cincinnati known for?** The University of Cincinnati is known as the birthplace of cooperative education and a top-tier public Research 1 university. UC integrates classroom learning with paid co-ops and internships, preparing students to graduate with real-world experience and strong career outcomes. With nationally ranked programs, industry partnerships and measurable return on investment, UC is recognized for innovation, impact and career readiness. **Bearcats for Life** Becoming a Bearcat is more than a milestone. It is a transformation. It begins with big dreams and uncertain first steps. Soon you find your moment — a co-op breakthrough, a packed stadium, a research discovery, a mentor who changes everything. At UC, you gain confidence, tenacity and lifelong connections. Bearcats support one another, push boundaries and build legacies across every field. Once you are a Bearcat, you are a Bearcat for life. **The Birthplace of Cooperative Education** At UC, learning goes beyond the classroom. As the founder of cooperative education, UC embeds real-world experience into every degree. However, co-op is just the beginning. UC helps students complete a required portfolio of experience-based learning that can include internships, research, clinicals, service learning, global study and industry-connected projects. This hands-on training turns knowledge into skillsets and coursework into career momentum. It’s not optional or extracurricular; it’s built into the degree, powering more than 32,000 real-world learning experiences every year. **4** for co-ops and internships (U.S. News & World Report, 2026) **1700+** employer partners across 44 states and 22 countries **$94m** in collective co-op wages in 2024–25 **Cincinnati: Our City** Cincinnati combines big-city energy with Midwest approachability. Home to global brands, thriving startups and championship-level athletics, the region offers students unmatched access to opportunity. - **No. 1 Best City for New College Graduates** (SmartAsset, 2019-2022) - **Eight Fortune 500** headquarters - Regional population of **over 2 million** - 700+ Greater Cincinnati **co-op partners** [Explore Cincinnati](https://www.uc.edu/cincinnati.html) **Ohio: Our Impact** As Ohio’s leading urban public research university, UC fuels the state’s workforce, economy and innovation ecosystem. - **$22.7 billion** annual economic impact in Ohio - **1 in 12 regional jobs** supported by UC - Statewide employer partnerships including **P&G, GE, Honda and Siemens** - **Bearcats Affordability Grant** supports Pell-eligible Ohio students [View Impact Report](https://www.uc.edu/our-home.html) **Research & Innovation | Next Lives Here** As a Carnegie Research 1 university, UC drives discovery that transforms industries and communities. Anchored in the [Cincinnati Innovation District](https://www.innovation.uc.edu/about/cincinnati-innovation-district.html), our researchers, students and corporate partners collaborate to solve problems that matter. - **No. 50** public research university (National Science Foundation) - **1819 Innovation Hub** - **Venture Lab** startup support - **Corporate innovation spaces** [Explore Research](https://research.uc.edu/) [Explore Innovation](https://www.innovation.uc.edu/) **Mission Statement** The University of Cincinnati serves the people of Ohio, the nation, and the world as a premier, public, urban research university dedicated to undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, experience-based learning, and research. We are committed to excellence in our students, faculty, staff, and all of our activities. We provide a supportive environment where innovation and freedom of intellectual inquiry flourish. Through scholarship, service, partnerships, and leadership, we create opportunity, develop educated and engaged citizens, enhance the economy and enrich our University, city, state and global community. **Statement of Commitment** *In accordance with the state of Ohio’s 2025 “Advance Ohio Higher Education Act”:* The University of Cincinnati declares that it will educate students by means of free, open, and rigorous intellectual inquiry to seek the truth. The University of Cincinnati declares that its duty is to equip students with the opportunity to develop the intellectual skills they need to reach their own, informed conclusions. The University of Cincinnati declares its commitment to not requiring, favoring, disfavoring, or prohibiting speech or lawful assembly. The University of Cincinnati declares it is committed to create a community dedicated to an ethic of civil and free inquiry, which respects the autonomy of each member, supports individual capacities for growth, and tolerates the differences in opinion that naturally occur in a public higher education community. The University of Cincinnati declares that its duty is to treat all faculty, staff, and students as individuals, to hold them to equal standards, and to provide them equality of opportunity, with regard to those individuals' race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.