University Mission & History

The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a nationally ranked public research university committed to excellence in teaching, research and community engagement. We strive to prepare students to succeed in college and to become lifelong learners and informed citizens in a global environment. UMass Lowell offers affordable, experience-based undergraduate and graduate academic programs taught by internationally recognized faculty who conduct research to expand the horizons of knowledge and sustainable practices. The programs span and interconnect the disciplines of business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. The university continues to build on its founding tradition of innovation, entrepreneurship and partnerships with industry and the community to address challenges facing the region and the world.

For more than a century, UMass Lowell has been preparing students to work in the real-world, solve real problems and help real people. The university began as the Lowell Normal School, a teaching college founded in 1894, and the Lowell Textile School, founded in 1895 to train technicians and managers for the textile industry. Over the next 75 years, both institutions extended their offerings to meet the growing needs of the region. Lowell State and Lowell Tech, as they were then known, merged in 1975 to form the University of Lowell. The campus became part of the University of Massachusetts system in 1991.

Predecessor Institutions

• University of Massachusetts Lowell: 1991-Present
• University of Lowell: 1975-1991
• Lowell State College: 1968-1975
• Massachusetts State College at Lowell: 1960-1968
• Lowell Technological Institute: 1953-1975
• State Teachers College at Lowell: 1932-1960
• Lowell Textile Institute: 1928-1953
• Lowell Textile School: 1895-1928
• Massachusetts State Normal School at Lowell: 1894-1932