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Academic excellence, small class sizes, and strong graduation rates are just some of the reasons why UMD is ranked #4 among Top Public Universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report.

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Zone of sympatry

UMD researchers study how flying squirrels are impacted by climate change.

Right place, right resources

From hands-on computer science to natural resources fieldwork, Braden Kowalski found all the right tools at UMD.

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Made in duluth.

When you come to Duluth, you understand what makes it special. From the world-famous lift bridge to charming neighborhoods filled with local breweries and restaurants, Duluth is a true original along the pristine shores of Lake Superior. Part rugged, part refined and 100% one-of-a-kind. You’ll get it when you get here.

the people. the pace. the place.

From fun family attractions and lakeside events to watching the giant ships pass through the canal, there’s always something happening in Duluth. Hop on a train, jump in the lake, grab a pint or just take in the view.

warm welcome

What trails are safe for kids? Where’s the best cup of coffee? Just how big is Lake Superior? If you’ve got questions, we’ve got advice. Gear up for summer fun with these awesome adventure ideas.

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Duluth offers year-round events and festivals featuring music, crafts, arts and sporting events that offer something for everyone

The Faces of duluth

Tony O’Neil

Tony O’Neil is the heart and soul behind  Jamrock Cultural Restaurant in downtown Duluth. Oh, and he’s also the first-ever coach of Duluth’s new arena football team, the Harbor Monsters. Set, hut!

Sarah Herrick-Smíšek

DLTH clothing is one of many businesses behind the maker spirit of Lincoln Park Craft District. Read on for more about their origin story, iconic logo and Sarah’s favorite spots around town.

Eduardo Sandoval Luna

In 2008, Eduardo opened a food truck with the vision of sharing Latino culture, one bite at a time. Now, his first brick and mortar location is serving even more great bites from Lincoln Park.

For more than 24 years, Jay Walker has been sharing his passion for aquatic animals and preservation at Duluth’s Great Lakes Aquarium. Read on to learn what drives his passion, what a typical day is like in his role as Executive Director, and some of his favorite spots in Duluth.

PLACES WE LOVE

For the top of your Duluth-to-do list.

Enger Tower

Aerial Lift Bridge

North Shore Scenic Drive

A new chapter begins at the University of Minnesota Duluth

At the heart of the University of Minnesota Duluth’s story is the desire for connection, and as changes come in with the new semester, that desire hasn’t changed.

“Today (Monday) was an opportunity for us to launch some new brand information about kind of how we’re talking about the institution as well as a new logo as we refresh the UMD logo and the opportunity for us to really celebrate our position as part of the University of Minnesota. But also, the university of Minnesota in Duluth and part of Duluth and really celebrating that connection we have to the university as well as that connection we have to the surrounding community,” said Charles Nies, UMD’s newest Chancellor.

The bond between the college and community, along with telling the stories of Duluth, remains at the forefront of Nies’ mind as he begins his first year at UMD.

“That’s a really big part of our identity, that connection and that commitment to not just the campus and each other on campus, but also to the community and to the environment and the natural habitat that surrounds Duluth. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the country. Why not celebrate it? Why not tell that story? And why not help our new scholars that are joining the campus become connected to that and become a part of that,” said Nies.

UMD hopes to welcome students to both the area and into the community – even if it’s only for their college years.

“The more we can help them feel connected to Duluth and everything that it has to offer, I think that that helps with that sense of belonging,” said Nies.

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From all of us at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), congratulations on taking the next step toward your future! Please note : you can save your work prior to submitting your application for admission, but you cannot make changes after it is submitted, so please review your application carefully before submitting.

Again, thank you for your interest in UMD, and for taking the time to tell us about yourself and your academic interests! We look forward to reviewing your application for admission to UMD.

Choose "2025 UMD Application" to apply for Spring 2025 or Fall 2025.

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U of M researchers discover potential new pathway to prevent age-related macular degeneration

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (08/20/2024) — Published in JCI Insight , a research team led by the University of Minnesota Medical School has identified small molecules that can reduce the production of proteins linked to age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, — the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among seniors in industrialized nations. Worldwide, AMD affects over 200 million people.   "To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a small molecule preventing AMD-like pathology in our preclinical model. In the big picture, these results provide hope that AMD may indeed be preventable, or at least modifiable by administration of a single drug," said John Hulleman, PhD , an associate professor and Larson Endowed Chair for Macular Degeneration Research at the U of M Medical School and corresponding author. By using unbiased drug screening, these inhibitors — specifically targeting a cellular pathway known as GSK3 — were found to prevent AMD features in a preclinical model. The results show that blocking GSK3 at low levels changes certain proteins linked to AMD, effectively preventing the disease in living organisms.  Future research will focus on determining whether blocking GSK3 can reverse existing AMD damage, potentially leading to new treatment options.  Funding was provided by the Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Roger and Dorothy Hirl Endowed Research Fund, Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation Award in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Research and National Institutes of Health grants [R01-EY027785, P30-EY030413, S10OD026758-01]. Additional support came from the Promega Advanced Academic Access Program. ### About the University of Minnesota Medical School The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. We acknowledge that the U of M Medical School is located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota and the Ojibwe, and scores of other Indigenous people, and we affirm our commitment to tribal communities and their sovereignty as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with tribal nations. For more information about the U of M Medical School, please visit med.umn.edu .  For media requests, please contact: Ezra Xiong Communications Specialist [email protected] University of Minnesota Medical School

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Year of Global Elections

Tim walz made an impression in china, students and teachers say.

John Ruwitch

Democratic VP nominee Walz gets flak from the right for his relationship with China

Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at the 46th International Convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees on Aug. 13 in Los Angeles. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

BEIJING — When Vice President Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on the Democratic ticket earlier this month, a Chinese woman in Western Australia, thousands of miles away, couldn't contain her excitement, shouting with joy at the news.

“When I realized that he was the Tim that [was] in my memory, I was amazed, and felt so proud of him,” Christy Dai told NPR by phone from Perth.

In 1989, a 15-year-old Dai met Walz, who became her first foreign English teacher at Foshan No. 1 Middle School in southern China. During that school year, Walz taught English and U.S. history to around 300 students, she says.

For Walz, it was an introduction to a country that he would return to about 30 times in the ensuing years, by his own reckoning — a cumulative experience that has come under a spotlight since his addition to the Democratic ticket.

But Walz’s record on China, based on the accounts of people who interacted with him on some of those trips, as well as his own words, is hard to put in a box.

In China, Trump has cachet but few see U.S. ties improving under him or Harris

At the age of 25, fresh out of college, Walz signed up for Harvard University's WorldTeach program and traveled to China, where, according to his online biography , he became part of one of the “first government sanctioned groups of American educators” to arrive after the country opened its doors to the world in the 1980s. The ’89-’90 school year started shortly after the Chinese army crushed pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

“It was my belief at that time that diplomacy was going to happen on many levels, certainly people to people,” Walz recalled during a 2014 congressional hearing commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown. “The opportunity to be in a Chinese high school at that critical time seemed to me to be really important.”

People-to-people communication

At the high school in Foshan, Walz made a good impression, according to Dai and a former colleague.

“He was quite lively and very approachable. Whether people understand English or not, he always greets them with hand gestures, appearing friendly and cheerful,” says Lee Nai-Tim, a retired teacher of Chinese language and literature, who was in charge of a class when Walz was teaching there.

Walz was given the nickname “Ah-Tim” by his students and colleagues. In Cantonese, the word “Tim” can be represented by a Chinese character that also appeared in Lee's name. Lee recalled Walz, with a big smile, saying in Cantonese: "Both you and I are named Tim."

Lee says Walz was thoughtful and cared for others. Walz was the only teacher at the school who was provided with an air conditioner, but he often left it off.

Here's why Taiwan is watching the U.S. election closely

“At that time, our electricity supply was sometimes unreliable,” Lee says. “Mr. Walz would turn off his air conditioner because when he used it, the lights nearby would dim. It was very hot in the summer, but he chose to go without air conditioning.”

For Dai, Walz represented one of the first opportunities for a close encounter with a person from the West.

“It was really a fantastic experience for us. And I would say that his time in China, you know, gave us a first glimpse of the outside world. And he was very humble and diligent. He gave us the impression of a Western person that is reliable, that [you] can be friends with,” Dai says.

She says Walz noticed she had a talent in English, and gave her the confidence that inspired her to pursue the language further. She eventually immigrated to Australia, where she has worked as a translator and interpreter for the past 20 years.

“This world needs people like him — people with integrity — to lead,” Dai says.

In the ’90s and early 2000s, Walz deepened his connection with China by leading Minnesota high school students there on summer trips.

Inside the Chinese-funded and staffed marijuana farms springing up across the U.S.

Emily Scott, who participated in one of those trips, says Walz encouraged the students to be open-minded, curious and eager to embrace new experiences. He set the tone for the entire journey.

“I really think he just wanted us to see how far away the horizon actually is,” she says. “He didn't necessarily want us to love it or hate it. He didn't necessarily want us to judge it in any way — the world, other people. He just wanted us to know it was there.”

During the trip, Walz encouraged Scott to learn Chinese, a suggestion that later led her to pursue a career that involved repeated trips to China.

Laura Matson, another former student, also traveled to China with Walz. The trip took place during the summer between her junior and senior years of high school.

She described the trip as an "eye-opening, incredible experience." Matson remembers meeting a group of Chinese girls on an overnight train ride. Matson spoke no Chinese, and the girls didn’t speak English, but they spent a fun evening painting each other's nails and exchanging magazines.

Putin and Xi further their embrace to defy U.S.-led pressure

“We couldn't connect on a verbal level, but we had a great time together and it was a really important moment for, you know, just recognizing that we can connect with anybody on any level if we put some effort into it,” she says.

Walz was "delighted to see his students making the kinds of connections and building the kinds of bridges that he had dedicated his career to fostering," she says.

Republicans are investigating

Altogether, Walz has said he’s made about 30 trips to China.

“I think a lot of people in China feel kind of excited,” says Zhiqun Zhu, a professor at Pennsylvania’s Bucknell University who has studied China-U.S. relations. “Walz had this experience in China, so they assume that he might be kind of pro-China.”

On social media, Republican critics have raised concerns about Walz’s connection with China, with one even labeling him a pro-China Marxist. On Friday, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said he was launching an investigation into Walz "following reports detailing the Governor’s longstanding connections to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entities and officials."

Walz’s team has defended the governor’s record, saying he has stood up to the CCP and fought for human rights throughout his career. “Republicans are twisting basic facts and desperately lying,” Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann said in a statement. “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will ensure we win the competition with China, and will always stand up for our values and interests in the face of China’s threats.”

In a 2016 interview with Agri-Pulse , an agriculture information service, Walz said he did not believe the U.S.-China relationship needed to be adversarial.

“I totally disagree [with the idea] and I think we need to stand firm on what they're doing in the South China Sea,” he said, referring to China’s expansion of islands and assertive posture in disputed waters. “But there's many areas of cooperation that we can work on.”

Upon returning to Nebraska in 1990, Walz told a local newspaper that he believed the Chinese people had been mistreated by their government for years.

"If they had the proper leadership, there are no limits on what they could accomplish. They are such kind, generous, capable people," he said in an interview with the Star-Herald .

As a congressman, Walz co-sponsored legislation that took a firm stance on China. He met with the Dalai Lama and Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, both of whom are viewed with hostility by Beijing.

5 years ago they protested for freedom in Hong Kong. They want us to remember them

Walz also served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which monitors human rights and the rule of law in the country.

During the hearing on the 25th Tiananmen crackdown anniversary, he said: “If we do not commemorate and we do not remember those who were willing to risk all, it puts all of us at risk of history forgetting the lessons that were there.”

The Picture Show

Rare photos and accounts from china's tiananmen square protests.

Zhu, the professor at Bucknell University, suggests that Walz's firsthand experience with China could be an asset if he were elected.

“I think if we have somebody at the top who had this experience, who really knows China's system, culture, society and who still has some friends over there, this will be very helpful, you know, to smooth the relationship,” Zhu says.

But he notes that Walz might not hesitate to take a firmer stance as the geopolitical competition intensifies.

The Chinese government, however, remained notably silent after Tim Walz was selected as Harris’ running mate. When questioned at a daily press briefing the following day, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson simply remarked that it was a “domestic affair of the U.S.”

For Qiang Fang, a professor of history at the University of Minnesota Duluth, this shows that China wants to “wait and see” who will win the U.S. election in November.

“If Harris and Walz win the election, the Chinese government would not be relieved,” says Fang, “because Tim Walz knows China, he was in China before.”

“I don’t think that the Chinese government has the impression that Tim Walz will definitely implement a pro-China policy under the current political environment in the United States,” he says.

As NPR has learned, Foshan No. 1 Middle School, where Walz once taught, has instructed its teachers not to give independent interviews about "an American who previously worked as a foreign teacher at school," without specifically mentioning Walz by name.

Aowen Cao contributed reporting from Beijing.

• Kamala Harris
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