Penn State is a large University located in State College, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as a college of agricultural science Penn State would later out grow this limited subject matter. However, Penn State was the first institution in America to award a baccalaureate degree in the subject of agricultural science.
In 1862 Penn State would receive another land grant with stipulations to offer course work in engineering, science, and other “utilitarian subjects” at an affordable cost. This is where Penn State as it is known today really started. Today, Penn State is what is known as a “state-related” school. This means, basically, that while it does have a private charter it is neither a totally private nor totally public institution.
Penn State enrolls around 80,000 students. Around half of these are at the University Park campus, also know as the main campus; while the rest of the students are enrolled at one of over 20 branch campuses state wide.
Details From: www.psu.edu