The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is the flagship university for the state of Nebraska, a member of the Big Ten Conference and ranked in the top tier of U.S. research universities. UNL, along with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, ranks among the top 75 universities worldwide in earning U.S. patents, according to a 2024 report by the National Academy of Inventors. In Fall 2024, UNL’s 23,992 students represented a 1.7 percent increase over Fall 2023. Student retention from first to second year increased, reaching a record of 86 percent. UNL also experienced tremendous growth in sponsored research awards for fiscal year 2023, totaling $194 million — an all-time high and a 12% increase from the previous year. UNL is regularly named a top research institution whose students are awarded Fulbright scholarships, and undergraduates consistently succeed in prestigious national scholarship competitions. Students are enrolled in Nebraska’s nine colleges: Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, Engineering, Hixson-Lied Fine and Performing Arts, Journalism and Mass Communications, and Law.