Purdue University enjoys global renown for its world-class instructional and research pursuits, while fulfilling a special role in Indiana as the state's land-grant university.

As one of the largest universities in the nation, Purdue is acclaimed for the quality of its teaching and research in a wide range of fields. Purdue's nearly 384,000 alumni live in all corners of the world. On the West Lafayette campus alone, the University offers some 5,300 classes in more than 350 specializations, organized through 12 undergraduate colleges/schools and the Graduate School. More than 38,000 students are enrolled at the West Lafayette campus, while some 30,000 others pursue degree work at four regional campuses and 10 College of Technology statewide sites. Purdue is also one of the nation's largest university conference centers, and its Conference Division administers more than 600 conferences each year, attended by nearly 70,000 people. More than 13,000 individuals embrace Purdue's pace-setting, distance-education efforts every year — including online and televised courses — in order to gain insight and solve problems.

Whether mapping the common-cold virus, fighting on the front lines in the battle against cancer, improving crop yields, or helping businesses sharpen their economic edge, Purdue researchers and specialists confront the problems and promises of today's world as partners with local, state and federal agencies. Expenditures for research programs now approach $408 million system-wide. A good deal of research activity focuses around Discovery Park, Purdue's new interdisciplinary research and learning endeavor that features 10 core centers. Discovery Park includes the Birck Nanotechnology Center, arguably the best academic nanoscale research facility in the world.

Taking its place in the global community as well, Purdue offers more than 200 study abroad programs in more than 50 countries, and the University's discovery and engagement activities have touched every continent. Students from 126 countries and all 50 states study at West Lafayette.

Every day, Purdue fulfills its mission to serve the people of Indiana, whether through the Cooperative Extension Service offices it operates in all of the state's 92 counties, its eight agricultural research centers that cover the state, or its range of engagement activities that help teachers, farmers, manufacturers, and business people do their jobs better and work smarter. The sheer size of the Purdue enterprise makes it an economic dynamo in the community and state as well, with an estimated annual impact of more than $2.5 billion on Indiana's economy. More than 18,000 people work at Purdue campuses and facilities statewide, making the University one of the state's largest employers. On the West Lafayette campus, Purdue employs nearly 15,000 faculty and staff, making it the Lafayette-West Lafayette community's largest employer.

Purdue was established in 1869, amid the promise of a bold new vision for public higher education in the United States. The University is part of the nation's chain of land-grant universities, tracing its roots to the Morrill Act of 1862, by which the federal government offered to turn over public lands to any state that would use the proceeds from their sale to maintain a college to teach agriculture and the mechanic arts. In 1865, the Indiana General Assembly voted to participate in this new "land-grant" concept and took steps to establish such an institution. Four years of wrangling ensued about just where the new college would be located in the state. That issue finally was settled on May 6, 1869, when the General Assembly decided to locate the new institution near Lafayette, accepting a donation of 100 acres of land from local citizens, $50,000 from Tippecanoe County, and $150,000 from Lafayette entrepreneur John Purdue. In appreciation of his gift, Indiana legislators named the institution Purdue University.

Its earliest days were filled with the trials and uncertainties of creating a university from the ground up. It took five years to develop courses, hire faculty, and build a modest cluster of brick buildings on what used to be fields and pastures, where Kickapoo braves had stalked game long ago. But on September 16, 1874, six instructors welcomed 39 students on Purdue's first day of classes, and the institution came to life, forever changing the face of the Lafayette-West Lafayette community and the lives of the people the University serves.

Today, from its stately red-brick campus close to the Wabash River, Purdue not only touches Lafayette and West Lafayette, but also the state, the nation, and the world through its discovery, learning, and engagement endeavors.

As an educational, athletic, and entertainment magnet for the northwest region of Indiana, Purdue holds events that draw hundreds of thousands of people to the campus and community every year. Notable figures and acclaimed performers appear in the 6,025-seat Elliott Hall of Music or in Loeb Playhouse, Fowler Hall, or the Slayter Center of Performing Arts, an outdoor performance facility nestled near a wooded hillside. Purdue Galleries offers exhibition space in several buildings. Purdue Convocations, Purdue Bands, Purdue Theatre, Purdue Musical Organizations, and the Black Cultural Center present a varied menu of concerts and entertainment year-round. Purdue Theatre performances are staged in two new theatres within the new Yue-Kong Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts.

On weekends in the fall, Purdue fans cheer on the Boilermaker football team in the 62,500-seat Ross-Ade Stadium, and, in the winter, basketball fans pack 14,123-seat Mackey Arena for the Boilermaker brand of Hoosier hysteria. Golfers make their way to the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, which includes two 18-hole championship courses — the Ackerman Hills Course and the Kampen Course — designed by renowned golf architect Pete Dye.

Visitors also enjoy simply strolling across the well-tended campus and its welcoming green spaces, including the Purdue Mall, Founders Park, Academy Park, and Memorial Mall.

Running through the fountains on the Purdue Mall and in Founders Park is a warm-weather treat for students and community members alike. On the Memorial Mall, founding benefactor John Purdue is buried in front of University Hall, the oldest building on campus. All told, the West Lafayette campus covers more than 2,300 acres and boasts 159 major buildings.

Visitors are always welcome at Purdue. The Visitor Information Center is at 504 Northwestern Avenue, and there is an information booth in the Purdue Memorial Union, which is located on the corner of State and Grant streets.

Visitor Information Center: (765) 494-INFO (4636)
Purdue Operator: (765) 494-4600
TDD Relay Service: (765) 496-1343
Office of Admissions: (765) 494-1776