Kansas's first public university and pioneering land-grant institution, blending tradition with innovation since 1863.
Kansas State University operates nine colleges: Agriculture; Architecture, Planning and Design; Arts and Sciences; Business Administration; Education; Engineering (Carl R. Ice College of Engineering); Health and Human Sciences; Technology and Aviation; and Veterinary Medicine. The university offers 250+ undergraduate programs and 165+ graduate programs, including 65 master's degree programs and nearly 50 doctoral programs. The institution is classified as R1: Doctoral Universities with very high research activity and maintains strong academic rankings, including #158 (tie) in U.S. News & World Report and #213 in Forbes.
K-State is a major research institution with particular strengths in agriculture, biosecurity, aerospace, and physics. The university operates the Biosecurity Research Institute (BSL-3 and BSL-3Ag facilities), the James R. Macdonald Laboratory for atomic and molecular physics, and the NASA Center for Gravitational Studies. K-State researchers developed the excimer laser technology that made LASIK eye surgery possible. The university also manages the Konza Prairie, a native tallgrass preserve, and operates 18,000 acres of Agricultural Experiment Stations across Kansas.
The Manhattan campus features historic limestone architecture, including the signature Anderson Hall (1877–1885) and Holtz Hall (1876). Since 1986, the university has added over two million square feet of new facilities. K-State hosts more than 400 student organizations, twelve residence halls, and a vibrant arts and culture scene including the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and McCain Auditorium. The university is known for its friendly community atmosphere and strong school spirit, earning recognition as #1 Friendliest Students (Princeton Review, 2025) and #1 College Town (College Rank, 2024).
K-State was founded on February 16, 1863, as the first land-grant college established under the Morrill Act and the first public institution of higher learning in Kansas. When it opened in September 1863, it became only the second U.S. college to admit women and men equally. The university pioneered home economics education for women in 1873 and was involved in early radio and television experimentation, operating the first television station in Kansas (W9XAK, 1932) and broadcasting the second college football game ever televised in 1939.