The U of M’s multicultural campus ensures you’ll be ready to explore and inspire in a global society. Here, you’ll be encouraged to think critically, grow intellectually, and challenge the status quo.
We define “diversity” in the broadest sense of the word. Our university community is strengthened by our students representing different races, religions, ethnicities, economic backgrounds, geographic origins, genders, sexualities, and beliefs.
Campus CommunitiesLooking for opportunities related to specific cultures? Here are some of the communities on campus:
Get in touch with your admissions counselor!
The Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE) is an office and campus-wide resource promoting an inclusive atmosphere on campus. MCAE’s programs are designed to create powerful, caring connections among all members of the University of Minnesota community.
Signature Programs: Some of MCAE’s signature programs include Student Excellence in Academics and Multiculturalism—which offers first-year students the opportunity to explore multicultural perspectives and topics across disciplines—and also President’s Distinguished Faculty Mentor Program, which links underrepresented students with distinguished faculty members who serve as mentors for the students’ personal and professional growth.
Cultural Celebrations: MCAE believes students should feel connected to their culture while attending the University of Minnesota. In collaboration with the ethnic student cultural associations and the ethnic studies departments, MCAE works to provide events and workshops for the following celebrations:
You’ll have lots of opportunities to grow and make great connections through student groups. You can meet new friends and check out new cultures, while building great skills by planning events, managing budgets, and coordinating volunteers.
On any given week, you can attend more than a dozen unique events put on by our student groups. Want to learn what it means to be Two-Spirit? Head to a Frybread Fryday at the American Indian Student Cultural Center. Want to meet members of the Asian American Student Union? Just check out their weekly High Tea sessions. You will benefit from a thriving campus environment where you can learn about other cultures and celebrate your own.
Curious about your cultural history, traditions, or community? You can study it all through our extensive cultural studies options. Learn about a few of them on our community pages!
Nothing opens up the world like learning a new language. At the U of M, you—ll have 37 different options, like Arabic, Ojibwe, or Chinese.
Learn about cultural studies departments on our community pages.
And home is exactly what many vibrant Twin Cities neighborhoods feel like to people from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
You've got a lot to check out. From touring acts at famed venues like First Avenue to intimate shows at The Cedar Cultural Center, dozens of international performers come to stages near campus each year. So be ready to experience great concerts, ballets, and plays.
The best way to learn about the U of M's multicultural community is to experience it yourself. With advance notice, we can arrange for you to see MCAE in person, meet with your admissions counselor, chat with current U of M students, or see student-run cultural centers in person.
We also have special events designed to showcase our multicultural communities, opportunities, and academics. The largest of these events is Experience Minnesota, an open house held every fall that's open to students from high school, junior high, and even grade school to check out our campus.
To give you an idea of scholarships available at the University of Minnesota, we’ve compiled a list of our merit-based awards.
We also encourage students to pursue community and organizational scholarship opportunities as well. To help with this search, we’ve compiled a sample list of outside scholarships.
The Office for Equity and Diversity (OED) is responsible for the University of Minnesota’s system-wide equity and diversity initiatives and programs, and for infusing the core values of equity and diversity into all aspects of teaching, learning, research, service, and outreach at the University.
Units in the Office for Equity and Diversity include:
To find out more about OED and its services and programs, call 612-624-0594 or visit OED online.
At the University of Minnesota, you’ll experience a close-knit multicultural campus community where you can build lifelong friendships, connect with faculty and staff that are dedicated to your success, and most importantly, have fun! Our campus is full of students and staff with different backgrounds, interests, and experiences.
| African American | 1,433 |
| American Indian | 372 |
| Asian/Pacific | 3,215 |
| Chicano/Latino | 900 |
| White | 21,241 |
| International | 2,787 |
| Unknown | 187 |
Federal government ethnicity and racial definitions
| U.S. states represented | 50 |
| Countries represented | 143 |
| Out-of-state students | 34% |
| In-state students | 66% |
| Female | 50.9% |
| Male | 49.1% |
