University of Wisconsin-River Falls

The University of Wisconsin–River Falls (also known as UW–River Falls or UWRF) is a public liberal arts university located in River Falls, Wisconsin. It is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The 226-acre (91 ha) campus is situated on the Kinnickinnic River in the St. Croix River Valley. The university has 32 major buildings and two laboratory farms, with a total of 440 acres (178 ha) of land.

In 2013-2014 UWRF had an enrollment of 6,061 students in more than 40 undergraduate and graduate programs. Being a part of the University of Wisconsin System, it is a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. UWRF is also a member of the American Council of Education Internationalization Laboratory and provides several global studies and study abroad programs. The university has created the St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development.

The University of Wisconsin–River Falls was founded in 1874 as River Falls State Normal School, one of the state normal schools created to prepare students for teaching careers and to provide better education to the state's frontier regions. In 1927, the school was renamed River Falls State Teachers College, as the state normal schools became "State Teachers Colleges" that incorporated a significant increase in general education offerings and four-year courses of study leading to a Bachelor of Education degree.

The University of Wisconsin–River Falls is one of four University of Wisconsin System institutions included in The Princeton Review's 2014 list of the "Best in the Midwest." For 2014, U.S. News & World Report ranked UWRF in the top tier for Regional Universities in the Midwest United States.[In 2018, University of Wisconsin-River Falls was ranked 93rd in Regional Universities in Midwest, 23rd in Top Public Universities and 381st in Business Programs in United States of America.