Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States.

[6] Lawrence's first period of major growth came during the thirty-year tenure (1894―1924) of alumnus Samuel G. Plantz as president, when the student body quadrupled, from 200 to 800.

From 1913 until 1964, it was named Lawrence College, to emphasize its small size and liberal arts education focus.

This separation has not lasted in any material form, though degrees are still conferred "on the recommendation of the Faculty of Lawrence and Downer Colleges" and the university by-laws still make the distinction.

Donald and Winifred Boynton of Highland Park, Illinois, donated the property in Door County, Wisconsin to Lawrence in 1963.

In 2009, Lawrence opened the Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center, a gathering place for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests from the Fox Cities community.

Lawrence offers a number of cooperative degree programs in areas such as engineering, health sciences and environmental studies.

Known as Freshman Studies until 2021, the program was established in 1945, and aside from a brief interruption in the mid-1970s it has remained a consistent fixture of the school's liberal arts curriculum.

[18] During the fall term, the on-campus fraternity Beta Theta Pi hosts the annual Beach Bash.

For this event, the brothers of ΒθΠ shovel approximately 14 tons of sand into the fraternity house basement,[19] and install a boardwalk and a lifeguard station that doubles as a DJ booth.This tradition was skipped in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alumni and independent teams from around the world are also able to compete, with the contest broadcast previously over radio and currently on Twitch.

[23] An on-campus bar, the Viking Room (VR), serves as a beloved campus lounge within the basement of the Memorial Hall classroom building.

Professors and other senior university personnel frequently serve as guest bartenders, and "VR tokens" are commonly distributed during campus events or when bartering to exchange for drinks at the bar.

Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, fencing, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

[27] The Vikings were the only undefeated team in all divisions of college basketball for the last six weeks of the season, ending with a record of 25–1.

Star forward Chris Braier won the Josten's Award as the top player in the country for both playing ability and community service.

[30] In 2011, Lawrence's men's cross country team won the Midwest Conference championships for the first time since 1985, beating Grinnell College and ending its 14-year winning streak.