The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the flagship institution of the University of Minnesota System and is organized into 19 colleges, schools, and other major academic units. Founded by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature as a territorial university in 1851, seven years before Minnesota achieved statehood, the Twin Cities campus is the oldest and largest in the University of Minnesota System. Its enrollment of 56,666 students as of fall 2024 places it among the ten largest U.S. campuses by enrollment. The campus comprises locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul, approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) apart.