The University of Arizona College Campus Tours

Get a feel for the beautiful University of Arizona campus. Tours are designed for high school groups (or other college bound student groups) to visit and tour the campus. This program provides students a unique opportunity to visit the UA campus, learn about the admissions process, explore possible majors, financial aid, and student services. Take a campus tour led by a current student who enjoys sharing the UA experience with visitors. Tours begin with an admission presentation, followed by a walking tour.

Tour includes
■Admission presentation
■Question and answer opportunities
■Residence hall
■Student Union
■Integrated Learning Center (classrooms)
■Main library
■The Mall/Alumni Plaza

 

As a public research university serving the diverse citizens of Arizona and beyond, the mission of the University of Arizona is to provide a comprehensive, high-quality education that engages our students in discovery through research and broad-based scholarship. They aim to empower their graduates to be leaders in solving complex societal problems. Whether in teaching, research, outreach or student engagement, access and quality are the defining attributes of the University of Arizona’s mission.

 

The University of Arizona offers a wide variety of academic programs, many of which are among the nation's best. Students can choose from more than 300 undergraduate and graduate degrees through 20 colleges and 11 schools on three campuses.

 

Arizona Athletics is home to 500 student-athletes who compete in 19 sports. Over the years the UA’s student-athletes have won 18 national team championships and 37 Pac-10 conference team championships. Campus Recreation offers fitness classes, intramural sports, sports clubs, outdoor adventures and more, enhancing the health and well-being of UA students, faculty and staff.

 

The University of Arizona is home to world-class art and anthropology museums, a professional performing arts presenter and offers outstanding student performances in music, dance and theater.

About Tucson, AZ

Encircled by mountain ranges and bookended by the two units of Saguaro National Park, Tucson is Arizona's second-largest city, and it has everything that Phoenix has to offer, plus a bit more. There are world-class golf resorts, excellent restaurants, art museums and galleries, an active cultural life, and, of course, plenty of great weather. Tucson also has a long history that melds Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo roots. And with a national park, a national forest, and other natural areas just beyond the city limits, Tucson is a city that celebrates its Sonoran Desert setting.

At Saguaro National Park, you can marvel at the massive saguaro cacti that have come to symbolize the desert Southwest, while at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (actually a zoo), you can acquaint yourself with the myriad flora and fauna of this region. Take a hike or a horseback ride up one of the trails that leads into the wilderness from the edge of the city, and you may even meet up with a few desert denizens on their own turf. Look beyond the saguaros and prickly pears, and you can find a desert oasis, complete with waterfalls and swimming holes, and, a short drive from the city, a pine forest that's home to the southernmost ski area in the country.

Founded by the Spanish in 1775, Tucson was built on the site of a much older Native American village, and the city's name comes from the Pima Indian word chukeson, which means "spring at the base of black mountain," a reference to the peak now known simply as "A Mountain." From 1867 to 1877, Tucson was the territorial capital of Arizona, but eventually the capital was moved to Phoenix. Consequently, Tucson did not develop as quickly as Phoenix and still holds on to some of its Hispanic and Western heritage.

Tucson has a history of valuing quality of life over development, which sets it apart from the Phoenix area. Back in the days of urban renewal, its citizens turned back the bulldozers and managed to preserve at least some of the city's old Mexican character. Likewise, today, in the face of the sort of sprawl that has given Phoenix the feel of a landlocked Los Angeles, advocates for controlled growth are fighting hard to preserve both Tucson's desert environment and the city's unique character. However, the inevitable sprawl has now ringed much of Tucson with vast suburbs, though as yet, the city is far from becoming another Phoenix.

The struggle to retain an identity distinct from other Southwestern cities is ongoing, and despite long, drawn-out attempts to breathe life into the city's core, downtown Tucson has little to offer visitors other than an art museum, a convention center, a couple of historic neighborhoods, and a couple of good restaurants. There are currently plans for a major downtown renaissance project known as Rio Nuevo that, it is hoped, will reinvigorate downtown Tucson.

Despite this minor shortcoming, Tucson remains Arizona's most beautiful and most livable city. With the Santa Catalina Mountains for a backdrop, Tucson boasts one of the most dramatic settings in the Southwest, and whether you're taking in the mountain vistas from the tee box of the 12th hole, the saddle of a palomino, or a table for two, I'm sure you'll agree that Tucson makes a superb college destination.