Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in Indiana, US, with its main campus in West Lafayette, and an urban campus in Indianapolis. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture; the first classes were held on September 16, 1874. Purdue's West Lafayette campus remains the flagship campus of the Purdue University system, while Purdue University in Indianapolis was launched on July 1, 2024. Purdue University is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". Purdue enrolls the largest student body of any individual university campus in Indiana, as well as the ninth-largest foreign student population of any university in the United States.