Written By: Jenna (Senior, Journalism)

In the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to share some UW Oshkosh facts that are so exciting and amazing…they’re almost scary. This is really only the tip of the iceberg — I could go on and on with more facts like this. But for now, take a look for yourself! (If you dare.)

1. College can be a lot of money, and at UW Oshkosh, we recognize that. This is why we work so hard to make college affordable for everyone. We are ranked the No. 1 Best-Value University in the state of Wisconsin!

2. UW Oshkosh’s College of Business is the ONLY AACSB internationally recognized, specialized accredited business school in Northeast Wisconsin. The college also prepares students for real-world situations through relationships with area businesses in the Oshkosh community that provide a wide variety of internships and part-time jobs available to UW Oshkosh students.

3. Speaking of jobs…  more than 70 of our accounting alumni have achieved partner status. And accounting students rank in the TOP 10 in the NATION for first-time pass rates on the CPA exam!

4. UWO is constantly creating new majors and programs in response to the changing economic climate and workforce needs. Most recently, we’ve added Engineering Technology, Business Management and Public Relations.

5. If Public Relations piques your interest, you may be surprised to know that we are the FIRST school in the ENTIRE state of Wisconsin to add Public Relations as its own major. (And our PR program is also CEPR certified — only one of 28 schools in the world!)

6. Our Model United Nations team is incredibly successful. So successful, in fact, that we hold the WORLD RECORD for the number of Outstanding Delegation awards received at National Model United Nations competition. (34 times in 31 years!) Did we mention that the National Model United Nations is the the world’s largest Model UN competition? READ MORE ABOUT MODEL UN! 

7. UWO was the first in the nation to become a certified Fair Trade University. Can you believe it?! All coffee and tea at Blackhawk Commons is Fair Trade, and several other Fair Trade food, drink, and handmade items can be found at various locations on campus such as the University Bookstore and the Corner Convenience Store.

8. UW Oshkosh has a total of 46 Division III national championships. All of our teams are outstanding, and most recently our football team shot up in the D3 football rankings. (As of right now, we’re No. 5 in the nation!) #HailTitans

9. You likely already know that our College of Nursing undergrad program is high-quality — it is one of our most popular majors — but just how beneficial is it, you ask? Graduates from our program are more successful than any other school in the state when it comes to passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX) on the first attempt. Fun fact: We also have the largest number of baccalaureate nursing graduates in the entire state, which makes that first-time pass rate statistic even more impressive. 

10. UW Oshkosh students have the opportunity to study abroad through any of our international study programs. Students can choose from 20 different countries including: Peru, Australia, Japan, Italy, France and Tanzania.

11. If traveling across the world isn’t necessarily for you, UW Oshkosh students also have the opportunity to attend a University in a different state, but pay UW Oshkosh tuition. Yes, you read that correctly. You can go to an entirely different school in a different state, still pay UW Oshkosh tuition and still stay on track for earning your degree from UWO. How terrific is that?!

12. Our study abroad programs have a wide variety of program lengths ranging from a few weeks to an entire semester or summer. There are also scholarships and grants available for students interested in studying abroad. At UW Oshkosh, we encourage our students to get out and explore the world! We also have a lot of international students, so even if you can’t study abroad, you’ll still be able to learn and explore other cultures.

13. Within the last few years, UW Oshkosh earned four out of five stars on the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index, which is an ongoing measurement to improve campus LGBT policies, programs and practices, put out by Campus Pride.

14. At UW Oshkosh we put an emphasis on innovation and sustainability. UWO ranks No. 1 for sustainability out of all the schools in the state of Wisconsin — and No. 3 in the entire NATION!

15. Our ROTC program is astonishing. It earned the prestigious MacArthur Award in 2015, which is an award that recognizes only eight of the 275 ROTC programs across the nation. (We’re the only one to receive this award in the Midwest!) UW Oshkosh was also named military-friendly by a few different publications, including the Military Advanced Education Journal.

16. You might also find it helpful that the Army ROTC program at UW Oshkosh offers 2, 3, and 4-year scholarships. These scholarships pay FULL TUITION AND FEES to UW Oshkosh, include a separate allowance for books and a monthly stipend of up to $5,000 per year! It’s a great opportunity to be involved with an excellent program and help pay for school.

17.  UWO offers a special education program where students can choose get dual-certified in teaching both special education classes as well as elementary education classes. UW Oshkosh originally started as a teacher-training school, so it isn’t that surprising that we have effective and strong education and human services programs that have a high success rate for job placement post-graduation.

18. We also are proud to say we are one of the state’s largest English as a Second Language programs!

19. UW Oshkosh has a large number of multicultural student organizations that regularly offer a variety of events and club meetings on campus!

20. For the 2015-2016 academic year, UW Oshkosh already awarded more than $160,000,000 in aid that was dispersed among nearly 9,000 students. Keep in mind that there are around 11,000 students enrolled for the 2015-2016 academic year who were eligible to apply for financial aid. Learn more about different types of financial aid available for UWO students.

21. Radio-TV-Film students at UWO have raked in more than 130 awards in scriptwriting, audio/radio production, media writing, television and short film production in the past few years. This all relates to the real-world experience students need to get ahead in the industry.

22. Remember when we said our College of Business is great because students can utilize the connections our professors and alumni have within the Fox Valley community? Our RTF program also has a number of connections over the country, including Los Angeles! In fact, all of our alumni are still very connected and love networking with current students to help them gain the experiences they need to succeed post-college. (For example, they even have a Facebook group to connect current students and alumni!)

23. UWO was the first business college in the state with a student-managed investment fund; the fund has grown to more than $600,000!

24. UWO proudly opened the FIRST commercial-scale dry anaerobic biodigester in the Americas, which uses organic waste from both on-and off-campus,  to produce methane gas that powers electricity-generating turbines. Some of the energy produced by the biodigester actually helps power parts of campus, and students can gain valuable research experience while working with the biodigester.

25. Not from Wisconsin? Not a problem! We have the Titan National Scholar Program that awards high-achieving non-resident students the same tuition rate that in-state students pay for up to eight consecutive semesters. (Check out the website for more specific details and qualifications for students who may be eligible for this award.)

26. UWO’s Journalism Department recently met all NINE standards set forth by a team from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication — a feat that even most accredited programs don’t achieve, including some of the biggest journalism schools in the country. In addition, UW Oshkosh is one of only two schools in the state that offers an accredited program.

Do you see what I mean by “so cool they’re almost scary” now? I hope this list gave you the heebie jeebies in the very best way. 🙂 Happy Halloween, Titans!