Texas A&M University is a public research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, the first public institution of higher education in the state of Texas. The university today has a student body of over 68,000 students from all 50 states and more than 120 countries. The university is a member of the SEC Conference and is classified as a land-, sea-, and space-grant university by the Carnegie Classification.
The campus covers 5,200 acres (21 km2) and features over 300 buildings. The main campus comprises three distinct areas: Academic Plaza, Main Campus Quadrangle, and Research Park. The academic buildings are arranged around several quads including Academic Plaza, Main Campus Quadrangle, West Campus Quadrangle, East Campus Quadrangle, Northside Quadrangle, Southside Quadrangle, Victory Court Complex Quads I & II; Ruppel Shellman Quads; Poultry ScienceQuad; Animal Science/Veterinary MedicineQuad; Soil & Crop Sciences/Horticulture Quads; Agronomy/Entomology/Range EcologyQuad complex; Biochemistry/Biophysics/Microbiology complex (BMC); Chemistry complex (CMC); Physics complex (PC); Biological Sciences Greenhouse facility quadrant(BSGFQ); Aerospace Engineering Department facilities quadrant(AEDFQ), Zachry Engineering Education Complex (ZEEC). There are also many residence halls on campus including White Creek Apartments which house upperclassmen and graduate students.
The university offers degrees in over 150 courses of study through ten colleges and houses 17 research institutes. As of 2019[update], Texas A&M’s endowment is worth $14.7 billion making it one of the largest endowments in the country. The George Bush Presidential Library is located on campus providing archives for Bush’s time as President as well as a museum dedicated to his life and career