The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (the U of M, UMN, Minnesota, or simply the U) is a public research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Twin Cities campus comprises locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) apart, and the St. Paul location is in neighboring Falcon Heights. The Twin Cities campus is the oldest and largest in the University of Minnesota system and has the sixth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 51,327 students in 2019-20. It is the flagship institution of the University of Minnesota System, and is organized into 19 colleges, schools, and other major academic units.

The University of Minnesota is included in a 1985 book describing America's Public Ivy universities. The Minnesota Territorial Legislature drafted a charter for a territorial university in 1851, the university took significant time to fully organize and the first college classes weren't held until 1867. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity." Minnesota is a member of the Association of American Universities and is ranked 14th in research activity, with $881 million in research and development expenditures in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015.

University of Minnesota faculty, alumni, and researchers have won 26 Nobel Prizes and three Pulitzer Prizes.[14] Notable University of Minnesota alumni include two vice presidents of the United States, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, and Bob Dylan, who received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.