About UAF

There are places in this world where you are destined to discover who you truly are. Here at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, as wisdom passes from one generation to the next, revolutionary ideas are thriving and a new academic culture is taking shape. Smarter questions. Better answers.

With undergraduates making up 89 percent of the total student body, UAF is a hotbed of diversity and fresh thinking. Whether you're returning to school to start a new phase of your life or coming in as a recent high school graduate, you'll quickly make new friends with a similar drive to achieve. And, because our backyard is the vast environmental laboratory of Alaska, UAF attracts exceptional individuals — academic superstars and adventure-seekers alike.

With seven campuses across the state, we are home to more than 8,500 students from all over the world — each in pursuit of something extraordinary. Whether you're looking for a greater sense of purpose or a true sense of belonging, the UAF community lives authentically, believing that life is what you make of it, that knowledge is indeed power, and that a natural curiosity about the world around you will always be your best GPS.

Welcome to the University of Alaska Fairbanks — it may feel like you've journeyed far, but in fact, this is where it all begins.

 


Mission and vision

Mission statement

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is a Land, Sea, and Space Grant university and an international center for research, education, and the arts, emphasizing the circumpolar North and its diverse peoples. UAF integrates teaching, research, and public service as it educates students for active citizenship and prepares them for lifelong learning and careers.

Vision statement:

Excellence through transformative experiences

Defined as:

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is renowned for its Arctic research, Alaska Native and Indigenous programs, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and hands-on, personalized learning. UAF provides a world-class, inclusive experience — energized by innovative research, community engagement, student-centered teaching and creative expression.

 

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the Alaska Native nations upon whose ancestral lands our campuses reside.  In Fairbanks, our Troth Yeddha' Campus is located on the ancestral lands of the Dena people of the lower Tanana River.

In addition to the Fairbanks campus, UAF has six community and rural campuses and nine learning centers across the state.

The University of Alaska is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer and educational institution.

Learn about UAF's enrollment, demographics, athletics, popular degrees and more.

Fairbanks, Alaska's second largest city, sits on the banks of the Chena River in the heart of Alaska.

The Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines opened in 1922, in 1935 became the University of Alaska, and awarded its first Ph.D. in 1955.

UAF is located in Fairbanks and is part of a statewide university system. Chancellor Daniel M. White is UAF's chief executive officer.

What — and who — we’re made of

Established in
1917
42 years before
Alaska became a state

7,451
students enrolled
from 49 states and
58 countries

2,250 acres
make up the Fairbanks campus

11:1
student-faculty
ratio

35,000+
alumni