College of the Day: University of Miami

University of Miami

Quick Facts:

Location: Miami, FL 

Established:1925

Students Enrolled: 14,744

Applicants: 27,757

Male/Female Ratio: 49/51

The University of Miami (UM) has largely been known for it's football team, but it's academic programs also deserve fame.  UM's 239-acre campus is located twenty minutes from Miami's beaches and ten minutes to downtown Miami. Students expecting to be beach bums and not study should not apply to UM.

UM's best programs are marine biology, music, and business.  The marine science program is one of the top programs in the country.  UM offers students more than 180 majors within the 12 different schools. The university has a hands-on approach to learning, encouraging students to carry out research in collaboration with professors and other students. 

The university is also well-known for it's diversity.  Hispanics account for twenty-three percent of students; some students say it's as if Spanish is the university's native language.  International students also bring great diversity to the campus with twelve percent of students being from another country.  

Student Life:

Typically, students think that on-campus housing at UM is average, so only 39 percent of undergraduates live on campus.  For those who do live on campus, housing is divided into five different residential colleges.  Each of these residential colleges is directed by a senior faculty member called a master.  The master organizes concerts, lectures, seminars, and social events for students in their residential college. 

Social life is big on campus, and UM has been known to be a party school.  Alcohol measures are strict for underage drinkers, but many students find a way around this by going to fraternity parties.  Greek life is popular at UM with 32 percent of students participating in either a fraternity or sorority.  Those not interested in fraternity parties still have access to plenty of social life provided by busy Miami.  

Sports are very popular at UM, especially men's football and basketball.  Students have abundant enthusiasm for their sports' teams at UM. The university also offers intramural sports for students and fun games such as quidditch for Harry Potter lovers. 

Apply:

If you are interested in applying to the University of Miami you should have a Critical Reading SAT score of 600-700 and a Math SAT Score of 630-720. ACT scores for all sections should be from 28-32. UM typically has at least 27,000 applicants each year with only 40% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to the University of Miami, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "University of Miami." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 448-450. Print