Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology limited to the large intestine. The disease is prevalent in industrial societies and is associated with specific ethnic populations. A number of murine models, each focused on distinct aspects of the disease process, were developed over the past 20 years to further our understanding of the pathogenesis of UC. These models have been and remain our best resource for the study of the disorder as a result of their homology to human UC and the ease in which they can be manipulated and examined. This review examines and distills what has been learned from these models and how this information is related back to human UC.