The University of Arkansas (often shortened to U of A, UARK, or just UA) is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Founded as Arkansas Industrial University in 1871, its present name was adopted in 1899 and classes were first held on January 22, 1872. It is noted for its strong architecture, agriculture (particularly animal science and poultry science),business, communication disorders, creative writing, history, law, and Middle Eastern studies programs.

The University of Arkansas completed its "Campaign for the 21st Century" in 2005, in which the university raised more than $1 billion for the school, used in part to create a new Honors College and significantly increase the university's endowment. Among these gifts were the largest donation given to a business school at the time ($50 million), and the largest gift given to a public university in America ($300 million), both given by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

Total enrollment for the fall semester of 2011 was 23,199, the largest increase in number of students since the 1940s and the largest percentage increase since 1975, an increase that came on the heels of a similar jump in 2010. Of the 23,199 students, 3,773 (16.3%) are graduate students and 399 (1.7%) are law school students. Of the total, 14,480 (62.4%) of the university's students were residents of Arkansas; 7,493 (32.3%) were out-of-state residents (with Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri representing the largest out-of-state student populations), and 1,226 students (5.3%) were from countries other than the United States. The university campus comprises more than 130 buildings on 345 acres (1.40 km2), including Old Main, the first permanent academic building erected, and The Inn at Carnall Hall, which serves as an on-campus hotel and restaurant facility. Academic programs are in excess of 200. The ratio of students to faculty is 17:1. Tuition did not rise for the 2009–10 academic year at the University of Arkansas, thanks in part to a $1 million donation from the Athletics Department. The average tuition nationally rose 6.6%. On April 16, 2010, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees announced system-wide tuition increases of 3%–6.9% to combat decreases in state funding and increased enrollments. The University of Arkansas flagship campus experienced a 4.8% increase in tuition and fees for the 2010–11 academic year.