University of Miami

This is an article about the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. For the article on Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, see Miami University.

The University of Miami is a private university in the city of Coral Gables in metropolitan Miami, Florida.

The university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States and is particularly well known for its nationally-ranked programs in business, medicine, marine biology, and music. In 2004, the average weighted grade point average for students granted admission to the university was 4.0 and the mid-range SAT score was 1360. Sixty-three percent of University of Miami students ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

The university was founded in 1925. It has a student body of over 15,000, and its campus spans 240 acres (1 km²) in Coral Gables. Its orange, green and white colors represent the different parts of the orange blossom tree. The university's current president is former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala.

The university's Iron Arrow Honor Society is one of the most selective and prestigious student honors of any major U.S. university or college.

The university has been among the most successful in major collegiate sports, winning five Division I national championships in American football (1983, 1986, 1989, 1990 and 2001) and four in baseball (1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001). The university is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Its traditional athletic rivals include the Seminoles of Florida State University and the Gators of the University of Florida.

In 2004, the University of Miami was the site of the first nationally-televised U.S. presidential debate between Presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry.