Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (commonly referred to as Penn State and sometimes by the acronym PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, in 1863, Penn State was named the state's first land-grant university. Its primary campus, known as Penn State University Park, is located in State College and College Township in Pennsylvania.
Former name | Farmer's High School of Pennsylvania (1855–1862) Agricultural College of Pennsylvania (1862–1874) The Pennsylvania State College (1874–1953) Dickinson School of Law (1834–2000) The Chestnut Street Female Seminary (1850–1883) The Ogontz School for Girls (1883–1950) Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute (1930–1958) Pennsylvania State Forest Academy (1903–1929) |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Making Life Better" On seal: "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence" |
| Type | Public state-related land-grant research university |
| Established | February 22, 1855 |
| Accreditation | MSCHE |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $4.5 billion (2022) |
| Budget | $8.6 billion (2022-23) |
| Chairperson | Matthew W. Schuyler |
| President | Neeli Bendapudi |
| Provost | Justin Schwartz |
Academic staff | 8,002 |
Administrative staff | 17,218 |
| Students | 89,816 • 46,723 (University Park) |
| Undergraduates | 74,446 • 39,809 (University Park) |
| Postgraduates | 14,039 • 6,092 (University Park) |
| 1,331 | |
| Location | , , 40°47′54″N 77°51′36″W |
| Campus | Small city, 7,343 acres (2,972 ha) Total (statewide), 22,484 acres (9,099 ha) |
| Other campuses | |
| Newspaper |
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| Colors | Blue and white |
| Nickname |
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Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Nittany Lion |
| Website | www |
| ASN | 3999 |
| Official name | Ag Hill Complex |
| Type | Building |
| Criteria | Event, Architecture/Engineering |
| Designated | January 12, 1979 |
| Reference no. | 79002191 |
| Official name | Farmers' High School |
| Type | District |
| Criteria | Event, Architecture/Engineering |
| Designated | September 11, 1981 |
| Reference no. | 81000538 |
| Official name | Pennsylvania State University, The |
| Type | Roadside |
| Designated | April 30, 1947 |
In addition to its land-grant designation, the university is a sea-grant, space-grant, and one of only six sun-grant universities. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). The university has two law schools: Penn State Law on the school's University Park campus and Penn State Dickinson Law in Carlisle. The College of Medicine is in Hershey. The university maintains 19 commonwealth campuses and five special mission campuses located across Pennsylvania.
The university competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA for most of its athletic teams, known collectively as the Penn State Nittany Lions. Since its founding, Penn State has won 81 national collegiate team championships, including 53 NCAA titles across all sports, and Penn State students, alumni, faculty, and coaches have won a total of 60 Olympic medals, including 17 gold medals.