Purdue University traces its roots to the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862. In 1869 the Indiana General Assembly chose the Lafayette area for the new institution and accepted a $150,000 gift from John Purdue. Classes began in 1874 with six instructors and 39 students.
Purdue describes itself as Indiana’s land-grant university and runs a systemwide network of campus locations across the state, including Indianapolis, plus online programmes. It has 11 colleges and schools. The West Lafayette campus has over 50,000 students, and university news reported 43,417 undergraduates on the main campus in fall 2026. Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., Purdue’s president from 2013 to 2022, is interim president until a successor chosen through a national search takes office.