The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) is an American public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts. The university is part of the five-campus University of Massachusetts system, and is the largest public university in New England. UMass Lowell offers 122 bachelor’s degrees, 43 master’s degrees, and 32 doctoral degrees along with professional degree programs in engineering, education, business, fine arts, nursing, and science.
Founded in 1894 as two separate schools—the Lowell Normal School and the State Industrial School—the institution was established to train teachers for the growing industrial population in the city of Lowell. The Normal School opened its doors first in 1898; six years later it merged with its sister school to form what is today known as UMass Lowell. In 1975, UMass Lowell was elevated to university status by the Massachusetts legislature. Today it enrolls more than 17 thousand students from all 50 states and 83 countries around the world.
UMass Lowell has been ranked among the top Tier 2 national universities by U.S. News & World Report for 19 consecutive years (1999–2017). It also ranks fourth among public universities in New England for return on investment according to Payscale’s College ROI Report (2016). Additionally, Bloomberg Businessweek has ranked the Manning School of Business No. 1 in the Northeast four times (2011–2014), and Princeton Review has named it one of America’s Best Business Schools every year since 2010.