University of Montevallo

The University of Montevallo is a four-year public university located in Montevallo, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1896, it is Alabama's only public liberal arts college and a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.The University of Montevallo continues to receive accolades through the rankings of "America’s Best Colleges", published by U.S. News & World Report. UM is ranked as the No. 1 public master’s-level university in Alabama, a distinction it has held each year since 2008. For 2016, Montevallo is listed as the 13th-best public university in the South in its division, moving up 2 spots since last year. Schools in 12 states make up the South geographic region.HistoryThe campus is considered an architectural jewel with an appearance more in line with private, elite institutions. The main part of the campus was designed by the Olmsted Brothers and the central part is a National Historic District. The university opened in October 1896 as the Alabama Girls’ Industrial School (AGIS), a women-only technical school that also offered high school-level courses. AGIS became the Alabama Girls’ Technical Institute in 1911, further adding "and College for Women" in 1919. The school gradually developed as a traditional degree-granting institution, becoming Alabama College, State College for Women in 1923.