The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU) is an institution of higher learning located in Lawrence, Kansas. The University was founded in 1865 by the citizens of Lawrence, under a charter from the Kansas Legislature, with the assistance of a donation of 40 acres (160,000 m²) of land on Mount Oread in Lawrence from former Kansas Governor Charles Robinson and his wife Sara and a small monetary gift from Amos A. Lawrence. In the Fall 2003, the University enrolled 29,272 students. The total faculty head count was 2,158. The total staff and faculty count was 12,328 employees.

The University's School of Medicine is located in Kansas City, Kansas. The KU Edwards Campus  is located in Overland Park, Kansas in the Kansas City metro area. There are also campuses in Parsons, Topeka and a branch of the School of Medicine in Wichita.

The university enjoys a fine national reputation. The most recent edition of Peterson's Guide to Competitive College  reports that KU "has a long and distinguished tradition as one of America's premier universities." Another popular college guidebook, The Fiske Guide  to Colleges, for more than a decade has awarded KU a four-star rating for academics, social life, and overall quality of university life.

KU is home to the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics as well as Kansas Public Radio. Radio station KANU was one of the first public radio stations in the nation. The university is host to several notable museums including the Kansas Natural History Museum, the KU Museum of Anthropology, and the Spencer Museum of Art.

The chancellor of the University of Kansas is Robert Hemenway, who has been serving in that capacity since 1994 and has taken a very active approach toward improving academics.