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Purdue University is a public university located in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. It serves as the primary of six campuses affiliated with the Purdue University System, one of the largest university systems in the nation.

A land-grant university, Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and money from Lafayette businessman John Purdue to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture in his name. The first classes were held on September 16, 1874, with three buildings, six instructors, and 39 students. Today, Purdue enrolls the largest student body of any university in Indiana and the largest international student population of any public university in the United States.

In 2005, Purdue reorganized its academic units into its present configuration of eight colleges and fourteen schools, containing both undergraduate and graduate programs in over 200 major areas of study.

Purdue has devoted a significant portion of its endowment to research activities in recent years, particularly in emerging high technology fields related to bioscience and bioengineering.