“Nebraska's metropolitan R2 research university with three campuses in Omaha.”
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is a public metropolitan research university founded in 1908 and serving roughly 15,000 students across three campuses in Omaha, Nebraska's largest city. Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral University with High Research Activity, UNO is distinctive among Nebraska's public institutions for its explicit urban engagement mission — faculty and students partner with Omaha's Fortune 500 employers (Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific, Mutual of Omaha, Kiewit, TD Ameritrade), nonprofits, and government agencies on applied research, internships, and service-learning projects. Academically, UNO is organized into six colleges offering more than 200 degree programs. Its College of Information Science and Technology was one of the first of its kind in the country and remains a national leader in cybersecurity education (NSA/DHS-designated Center of Academic Excellence) and bioinformatics. Other signature strengths include criminology and criminal justice (housed in the highly regarded School of Criminology and Criminal Justice), aviation, public administration, and a music program with deep jazz roots. Class sizes are small — student-faculty ratio 14:1 — and the semester calendar, transparent tuition structure, and rolling admissions make UNO a practical choice for international students seeking a mid-sized American campus with Midwestern cost-of-living. The student experience blends a commuter-friendly layout with a growing residential core around the Dodge and Scott campuses. Omaha itself — consistently ranked among the most affordable and livable U.S. cities — offers an unusually strong internship pipeline for undergraduates, with headquarters of five Fortune 500 companies inside the metro. UNO's Division I Mavericks compete in the Summit League and NCHC, and the campus hosts the College World Series' home stadium next door. With F-1 support from the Office of International Affairs and a long-running Intensive English Language Program (ILUNO), UNO pitches itself as an accessible, career-oriented gateway to the U.S. for international students.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Test Flexible — Multiple standardized test types are accepted.
Official SourceFall Priority (freshman scholarship)
Soft priority; rolling decisions continue after.
Fall Final Deadline
Rolling admissions.
Spring
Spring term entry.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$8,718
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$23,206
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
One of the first standalone IS&T colleges in the U.S., housing cybersecurity, computer science, bioinformatics, and IT innovation; designated NSA/DHS Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.
AACSB-accredited business school with strong ties to Omaha's Fortune 500 community including Berkshire Hathaway and Union Pacific.
Home to the nationally ranked School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, plus social work, public administration, and aviation.
Largest college by enrollment, offering humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences with a metropolitan research focus.
Houses the School of the Arts, School of Communication, and a music program with deep Omaha jazz roots.
Teacher preparation, exercise science, and health education with extensive field placements across the Omaha metro.
4 years
NSA/DHS-designated program with hands-on coursework in network defense, digital forensics, and secure coding. Students gain access to UNO's Cybersecurity Operations Lab and a pipeline to defense contractors including Offutt AFB's US Strategic Command.
4 years
Professional flight, air transport administration, and unmanned aircraft systems tracks — one of the few Midwestern public programs with FAA-approved flight training on-site.
4 years
Nationally ranked program with embedded practicums at Omaha PD, Douglas County courts, and federal agencies; strong feeder to law school and federal law enforcement.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $23,206
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
