Nebraska Impact

Nebraska's Big Ten and World-Leading Land-Grant University

For more than 150 years, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has been transforming lives through the power of our academic programs and the global impact of our research and outreach. Thanks to the grit of our faculty, staff and students, we achieve glory that’s entwined with the state’s growth and development. Our upward momentum is building, and as a result, our impact on the state is multiplying – and all Nebraskans benefit.

Leadership Research Students / Alumni Outreach / Partnerships
In Our Grit, Our Glory tagline

Impact of Leadership

Nebraska Leads Water for Food Research

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is addressing the challenge of feeding massive population growth while using less water for food production and adapting to the changing climate.

See our impact in water and food

Only in Nebraska: Carson Center

Nebraska’s Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts earned HP/Educause designation, putting UNL in the company of MIT, Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth.

Visit the Carson Center site

Nebraska's Critical Virology Research

Nebraska scientists were the first to identify a vaccine that could defend against Zika without producing antibodies.

Explore Nebraska Virology

Nebraska Engineering expanding with Kiewit

A gift from Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc., one of America’s largest and most respected construction and engineering firms, is propelling forward Nebraska's new $85 million engineering building.

Read about our plans

Impact of Research

$2.9 Billion Annual Economic Impact In the State of Nebraska

  • 1,593 Sponsored Awards
  • $320M Total research expenditures, FY 2020
  • 1.5 MILLION Square feet of space for research
  • 43% Increase in research expenditures in the past 10 years

FY 2020 Federal expenditures by agency

Industry-Sponsored Research

$10.31 Million Expenditures supported by industry sponsorship
$143 Million Annual economic impact
Students standing in a field.
24% Increase in early career tenure-track faculty since 2012
Student discussing work with College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources professor.
860 Jobs created statewide
Faculty discusses circuits at Makers conference.

NUtech Ventures

NUTech Ventures logo

6.48 Million in licensing income in FY21

Nebraska Technology Impacting U.S. Crops NUtech Ventures licensed crop herbicide-tolerance technology to Bayer. The company said it expects to remain “the number one soybean system for weed control in North America” in 2021, with its Xtend and XtendFlex products. – Bayer (Monsanto) 2020

Top 100 in Patents For the sixth consecutive year, the University of Nebraska system is ranked among the top 100 academic institutions worldwide (tied at No. 78) in earning U.S. patents. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the NU system 45 U.S. patents in 2022. – National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners Association

Nebraska Innovation Campus

Opened 2022: The Scarlet Hotel A new six-story, 154-room boutique hotel in the heart of Nebraska Innovation Campus.

$371.8MAnnual economic impact of NIC

55+ Diverse private and public-sector partners

Aerial view of Nebraska Innovation Campus

Impact of Access

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Nearly 19,000 Undergrad Students

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More than 4,000 Grad Students

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320

Real-world software solutions have been developed on campus by students since 2001. – Design Studio in the Raikes School of Computer Science and Management

Nebraska has one of the nation’s leading undergraduate research programs – backed by more than one million dollars in annual funding – empowering students to work one-on-one with faculty on research that creates new knowledge and improves lives in Nebraska and beyond.

Student doing work in lab
Icon of computer with hands

Inclusive Access & Open Education Resource Programs

Since 2019, affordable content programs have saved students an estimated $9.9 million on textbook costs and have replaced over 159,000 textbooks with affordable content.

Engler - Purposeful Entrepreneurship

More than
$145.7 Million
gross revenue generated since the inception of the program*

More than
$36.8 Million
gross revenue generated in 2021 alone*

*reported by 56 companies. Not all shared financials

86%

of alumni & students are more likely to become an employer because of Engler.

Engler students sitting together

Engler-owned businesses employ 127 people

More than
230 Engler Alums
are
Living, Working
and
Growing Businesses
in Nebraska.

The university's Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program began in 2010 with a gift and challenge from Paul Engler, a Nebraska alumnus and Texas cattleman.

Engler Entrepreneurship logo

Impact of Alumni

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80,000+Alumni work in Nebraska

Among employers that hire the most Husker graduates, all of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20 are Nebraska-based organizations. We draw new students in, and in turn, Nebraska employers can count on our grads for their talent needs.

Since its founding in 1869, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has awarded 316,869 degrees (August, 2023).

Students cheer at commencement

Impact of Commitment

Extension and Outreach

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3 of 4 Nebraska farmers and ranchers work with Nebraska Extension each year to boost crop and animal productivity.

  • 24,000 Nebraska crop producers accessing Extension information
  • 12,500 Nebraska beef producers accessing Extension information
  • More than 43,000 acres of campus throughout Nebraska

Empowering 140,000 Nebraska Youth

In Nebraska, where in more than ¾ of our counties, one in every two age-eligible youth are enrolled in 4-H, for a total enrollment reaching approximately 140,000 youth.

4H logo
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Leading Agricultural Education Programs

214 Nebraska high schools offer Ag Education/FFA, led by 248 teachers, the majority of which are Husker graduates, including 13 new UNL graduates serving in their first year as agricultural education teachers and FFA advisors in 2023-24.

Husker Scholars Program Supports About 2,000 Students

The Husker Scholars Program has enabled annual scholarship support from Husker Athletics for students not competing in intercollegiate athletics since 2018. 

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Collaboration & Recognition

Big Ten Academic Alliance logo Association of Public Land-Grant Universities logo Fed By Science logo Fiske Best Buy guide logo Forbes 2018 America's Best Large Employers badge

#1 Best Value Online MBA in the U.S.

(Financial Times, 2018)
Alliance for Inclusive and Diverse Stem Faculty logo Center for First Generation Success Institution logo Unizin logo

University of Nebraska Institutes

Buffett Institute logo NSRI logo Water For Food logo

We’re here to help you shape the future.