Education

 Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama.   With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of   more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second   largest university in Alabama. It is one of the state's two public flagship universities. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity" and its alumni include 5 Rhodes Scholars and 5 Truman Scholars. 

Auburn was chartered on February 1, 1856, as East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts school affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.  In 1872, under the Morrill Act, it became the state's first land-grant university and was renamed as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. In 1892, it became the first four-year coeducational school in Alabama, and in 1899 was renamed Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API) to reflect its changing mission. In 1960, its name was changed to   Auburn University to acknowledge the varied academic programs and   larger curriculum of a major university.