The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) is the second largest university in the University of Arkansas System, with 13,000 students. It opened in 1927 as Little Rock Junior College, a two-year liberal arts college with 100 students. Its four-year programmes began in 1957 and in 1969 it merged with the University of Arkansas. The university’s graduate school was created in 1977.
More than 100 undergraduate majors are now on offer at Little Rock, as well as 40 master’s, 10 doctoral programmes and evening and weekend classes for adults.
The university has seven colleges: arts, letters and sciences, business, education and health professions, engineering and information technology, social sciences and communication and the law school.
UALR athletes compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I in six women’s sports and four men’s sports. Teams are known as the Little Rock Trojans.
The university campus covers 350 areas including its baseball field. The recreation centre offers 30 different fitness classes, as well as personal training and first aid classes. Around 15 different intramural team and individual sports are on offer.
Little Rock is the capital city of Arkansas and boasts some of the most vibrant cultural and social scenes in the state. It is home to several major festivals, including the Arkansas Literary Festival, Arkansas State Fair and the Little Rock Film Festival.
Students can take advantage of the surrounding wilderness and national parks by renting camping equipment through the university. The Ouachita Mountains border the city, and are a popular destination for hiking or a visit to the natural hot springs.