The University of Michigan was established in Detroit on August 26, 1817, as the Catholepistemiad, or the University of Michigania, by the governor and judges of Michigan Territory.
Judge Augustus B. Woodward specifically invited The Rev. John Monteith and Father Gabriel Richard, a Catholic priest, to establish the institution.
 Monteith became its first president and held seven of the professorships, and Richard was vice president and held the other six professorships.
Concurrently, Ann Arbor had set aside 40 acres (16 ha) in the hopes of being selected as the state capital.
But when Lansing was chosen as the state capital, the city offered the land for a university.
What would become the university moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 thanks to Governor Stevens T. Mason.
The original 40 acres (16 ha) was the basis of the present Central Campus.
 This land was once inhabited by the Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewadimi (Potawatomi) Native tribes and was obtained through the Treaty of Fort Meigs.
In 1821, the university was officially renamed the University of Michigan.
 The first classes in Ann Arbor were held in 1841, with six freshmen and a sophomore, taught by two professors.
Eleven students graduated in the first commencement in 1845.

By 1866, enrollment had increased to 1,205 students, many of whom were Civil War veterans.
Women were first admitted in 1870, although Alice Robinson Boise Wood had become the first woman to attend classes (without matriculating) in 1866–7.
James Burrill Angell, who served as the university's president from 1871 to 1909, aggressively expanded U-M's curriculum to include professional studies in dentistry, architecture, engineering, government, and medicine.
U-M also became the first American university to use the seminar method of study.
Among the early students in the School of Medicine was Jose Celso Barbosa, who in 1880 graduated as valedictorian and the first Puerto Rican to get a university degree in the United States.
He returned to Puerto Rico to practice medicine and also served in high-ranking posts in the government.

The University of Michigan was involved with the building of the Philippine education, legal, public health systems during the era of the American colonization of the Philippines through the efforts of Michigan alumni that included Dean Conant Worcester and George A. Malcolm.
Early on, colonial government officials highlighted the importance of increasing the number of teachers and primary schools in the country.
President McKinley appointed teachers from various universities, tasking them with building the foundations of the Philippine education system under American control.
The first wave of these men sailed from San Francisco to Manila on the Thomas, also known as the “Thomasites.”
Of the nearly 500 who came to the Philippines in this group, the delegation from the University of Michigan was the second largest group of teachers who arrived.
The Thomasites were instrumental in the proliferation of schools and mass enrollment of students in the Philippines.
Ten years following their arrival, 4,000 schools were established, and by 1920, elementary enrollment was approaching one million and high school enrollment was at 17,335
From 1900 to 1920, the university constructed many new facilities, including buildings for the dental and pharmacy programs, chemistry, natural sciences, Hill Auditorium, large hospital and library complexes, and two residence halls.
In 1920, the university reorganized the College of Engineering and formed an advisory committee of 100 industrialists to guide academic research initiatives.
The university became a favored choice for bright Jewish students from New York in the 1920s and 1930s, when the Ivy League schools had quotas restricting the number of Jews to be admitted.
 Because of its high standards, U-M gained the nickname "Harvard of the West."
During World War II, U-M's research supported military efforts, such as U.S. Navy projects in proximity fuzes, PT boats, and radar jamming.

After the war, enrollment expanded rapidly and by
The University of Michigan was established in Detroit on August 26, 1817, as the Catholepistemiad, or the University of Michigania, by the governor and judges of Michigan Territory. Judge Augustus B. Woodward specifically invited The Rev. John Monteith and Father Gabriel Richard, a Catholic priest, to establish the institution.  Monteith became its first president and held seven of the professorships, and Richard was vice president and held the other six professorships. Concurrently, Ann Arbor had set aside 40 acres (16 ha) in the hopes of being selected as the state capital. But when Lansing was chosen as the state capital, the city offered the land for a university. What would become the university moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 thanks to Governor Stevens T. Mason. The original 40 acres (16 ha) was the basis of the present Central Campus.  This land was once inhabited by the Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewadimi (Potawatomi) Native tribes and was obtained through the Treaty of Fort Meigs. In 1821, the university was officially renamed the University of Michigan.  The first classes in Ann Arbor were held in 1841, with six freshmen and a sophomore, taught by two professors. Eleven students graduated in the first commencement in 1845.
By 1866, enrollment had increased to 1,205 students, many of whom were Civil War veterans. Women were first admitted in 1870, although Alice Robinson Boise Wood had become the first woman to attend classes (without matriculating) in 1866–7. James Burrill Angell, who served as the university's president from 1871 to 1909, aggressively expanded U-M's curriculum to include professional studies in dentistry, architecture, engineering, government, and medicine. U-M also became the first American university to use the seminar method of study. Among the early students in the School of Medicine was Jose Celso Barbosa, who in 1880 graduated as valedictorian and the first Puerto Rican to get a university degree in the United States. He returned to Puerto Rico to practice medicine and also served in high-ranking posts in the government.
The University of Michigan was involved with the building of the Philippine education, legal, public health systems during the era of the American colonization of the Philippines through the efforts of Michigan alumni that included Dean Conant Worcester and George A. Malcolm. Early on, colonial government officials highlighted the importance of increasing the number of teachers and primary schools in the country. President McKinley appointed teachers from various universities, tasking them with building the foundations of the Philippine education system under American control. The first wave of these men sailed from San Francisco to Manila on the Thomas, also known as the “Thomasites.” Of the nearly 500 who came to the Philippines in this group, the delegation from the University of Michigan was the second largest group of teachers who arrived. The Thomasites were instrumental in the proliferation of schools and mass enrollment of students in the Philippines. Ten years following their arrival, 4,000 schools were established, and by 1920, elementary enrollment was approaching one million and high school enrollment was at 17,335
From 1900 to 1920, the university constructed many new facilities, including buildings for the dental and pharmacy programs, chemistry, natural sciences, Hill Auditorium, large hospital and library complexes, and two residence halls. In 1920, the university reorganized the College of Engineering and formed an advisory committee of 100 industrialists to guide academic research initiatives. The university became a favored choice for bright Jewish students from New York in the 1920s and 1930s, when the Ivy League schools had quotas restricting the number of Jews to be admitted.  Because of its high standards, U-M gained the nickname "Harvard of the West." During World War II, U-M's research supported military efforts, such as U.S. Navy projects in proximity fuzes, PT boats, and radar jamming.
After the war, enrollment expanded rapidly and by 
University of Michigan