Auburn University

ABOUT UNIVERSITY

Auburn University, commonly referred to as AU or Auburn, is a public land-grant research university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With a student body exceeding 34,000, including more than 26,800 undergraduates and over 6,100 postgraduates, it stands as the second-largest university in Alabama. The university employs around 1,330 faculty members and holds the distinction of being one of 146 institutions in the U.S. classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity," highlighting its strong emphasis on research. Auburn is recognized as one of Alabama’s two flagship public universities.The institution was originally chartered in 1856 as East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. It began operation in 1859 with Reverend William J. Sasnett as its first president, welcoming eighty students and a faculty of ten. Following the Civil War, during which the campus served as a training ground and hospital for the Confederate Army, the college underwent several transformations. In 1872, it became Alabama’s first land-grant university under the Morrill Act and was renamed the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. It became the first four-year coeducational school in the state in 1892 and changed its name again to Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1899. Finally, in 1960, it adopted its current name, Auburn University.A significant addition to the Auburn University system came in 1967 when the Alabama Legislature chartered a new campus in Montgomery, which remains part of the AU system. Auburn’s historical roots are deeply tied to the Civil War era, with landmarks like the cannon lathe displayed near Samford Hall serving as reminders of its past. The university continues to build on its legacy of academic excellence and public service.