The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) is a university in Springfield, Illinois. The University was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois system on July 1, 1995. The University of Illinois at Springfield serves almost 5,000 students in 21 undergraduate programs, 20 master's programs, and a doctorate in Public Administration. The university was once one of the two upper-division and graduate universities in Illinois, but now accepts freshmen, transfer and graduate students. UIS is classified in the US News and World Report rankings as a "Regional University", which is a school which provides " a full range of undergraduate programs . . . some master's level programs . . . [but] few, if any, doctoral programs." In the 2011 rankings, UIS ranks #4 amongst Regional Universities in the Midwest Region. ("National Universities" within Illinois, such as UIUC, NIU, ISU, and SIUC, are not ranked against UIS and other Regional Universities.) The University of Illinois at Springfield has been offering online courses and degrees since 1999.