Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University
Former names
List
  • 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)
MottoOn seal: "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence"
TypePublic state-related land-grant research university
EstablishedFebruary 22, 1855 (1855-02-22)
AccreditationMSCHE
Academic affiliations
Endowment$4.5 billion (2022)
Budget$8.6 billion (2022-23)
ChairpersonMatthew W. Schuyler
PresidentNeeli Bendapudi
ProvostTracy Langkilde (interim)
Academic staff
8,002
Administrative staff
17,218
Students89,816
  46,723 (University Park)
Undergraduates74,446
  39,809 (University Park)
Postgraduates14,039
  6,092 (University Park)
1,331
Location,
Pennsylvania
,
United States

40°47′54″N 77°51′36″W / 40.79833°N 77.86000°W / 40.79833; -77.86000
CampusSmall city, 7,343 acres (2,972 ha)
Total (statewide), 22,484 acres (9,099 ha)
Other campuses
Newspaper
ColorsBlue and white
   
Nickname
Sporting affiliations
MascotNittany Lion
ASN3999
Official nameAg Hill Complex
TypeBuilding
CriteriaEvent, Architecture/Engineering
DesignatedJanuary 12, 1979
Reference no.79002191
Official nameFarmers' High School
TypeDistrict
CriteriaEvent, Architecture/Engineering
DesignatedSeptember 11, 1981
Reference no.81000538
Official namePennsylvania State University, The
TypeRoadside
DesignatedApril 30, 1947

The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855 as Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State was named the state's first land-grant university eight years later, in 1863. Its primary campus, known as Penn State University Park, is located in State College and College Township.

Penn State enrolls more than 89,000 students, of which more than 74,000 are undergraduates and more than 14,000 are postgraduates. In addition to its land-grant designation, the university is a sea-grant, space-grant, and sun-grant university. 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 82 national collegiate team championships, including 54 NCAA titles across all sports, and Penn State students, alumni, faculty, and coaches have won a total of 74 Olympic medals, including 20 gold medals.