Burlington, VT, 05405, United States

Nestled between the Adirondack and Green Mountains is the University of Vermont, a quasi-public school founded in 1791. It is known colloquially as UVM, which is Latin for Universitas Viridis Montis, or University of the Green Mountains. Students who want to take advantage of the surrounding nature in Burlington, Vermont, can rent skis, snowshoes, canoes and camping equipment on campus. Students don’t have to go far for an adventure, though; UVM has an adventure ropes course and an indoor rock climbing wall. There are more than 170 student organizations on campus, including about 15 fraternities and sororities. Fewer than 10 percent of students go Greek. Freshmen and sophomores must live on campus. The Catamounts athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I America East Conference, cheered on by a mountain cat mascot named Rally. In Burlington, students can explore the outdoor Church Street Marketplace, a collection of restaurants and boutiques, or relax on the shores of Lake Champlain. For a more urban experience, Montreal and Boston are about 100 and 220 miles away, respectively.Among the university's programs for graduate students is the highly ranked College of Medicine. In addition to traditional classrooms on campus, the University of Vermont has the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, a waterfront campus with a floating classroom on Lake Champlain. Students can study lake ecology aboard the Melosira, a research vessel. The university also owns four farms, where students can research agricultural topics. Among the ranks of the university's distinguished alumni are John Dewey, an educational philosopher; Jody Williams, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for her campaign against land mines; and Jon Kilik, the film producer responsible for "Malcolm X" and "Babel."