The Nebraska Legislature appropriated $50,000 to build a normal school in western Nebraska, touching off a heated competition among several communities bidding to be selected. On September 1, 1903, after 111 ballots, the State Board of Education awarded the school to Kearney for its offer of 20 acres and the Green Terrace apartments for a dormitory.1905: A.O. Thomas, then superintendent of Kearney Public Schools, was named the normal school’s first president and the inaugural classes were held that summer in Longfellow High School and Whittier Elementary. One week into the fall semester, September 25, classes moved from KPS to the campus Administration building though it featured only temporary stairs, lacked window glass, and required steam engines to deliver heat until the heating plant was completed.1963: More than a mere name change, the naming of Kearney State College signified that the institution had become more than a teacher education institution, and that Kearney had a mission unique from the other three former Teachers Colleges. In 1970, the number of faculty swelled to 274 and student enrollment increased to 5,870, requiring construction of the Centennial Towers in 1965 and 1967. For a time, students referred to the college as Nebraska State, using a large “N” on uniforms and cheerleading outfits.1989: The Nebraska legislature passed a bill moving KSC to the University of Nebraska system. This law was then challenged and reviewed by the Nebraska Supreme Court, and affirmed.The name change was far from cosmetic and required numerous transformations from reorganizing separate schools into colleges and to revision of institutional, faculty and staff constitutions and bylaws to increased admissions standards among many others. After an initial period of transition, the campus has achieved increasing distinction in academic, scholarly and creative activity, campus renewal and construction, and student success.

University of Nebraska--Kearney is ranked #34 in Regional Universities Midwest. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.#34inRegional Universities Midwest (tie)#15inBest Colleges for Veterans#8inBest Value Schools