History: NC State University was founded on March 7, 1887, by the state General Assembly to provide education and encourage economic development in agriculture and engineering. The university has evolved into a well-rounded academic community with nationally ranked programs in disciplines as diverse as life sciences, physical sciences, textiles, design and social sciences.

Location: The 2,110-acre campus is located west of downtown Raleigh, a part of the state’s technology-rich Research Triangle area. NC State is composed of a central campus, the College of Veterinary Medicine complex and Centennial Campus, a 1,000-acre research and technology-transfer "technopolis" that includes corporate and government research and development centers and business incubators. The university owns research stations, outreach centers and extension facilities across the state.

Student Body: NC State is the largest university in the state, with almost 30,000 students (roughly 58 percent men and 42 percent women). Minorities account for about 20 percent of the total student body. There are more than 1,000 international students, and about 600 students participate in distance education -- pursuing degrees off-campus.

Faculty: NC State has more than 1,700 faculty members, many of them nationally recognized. Nineteen faculty members have been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences or National Academy of Engineering. Six are fellows of the American Institute of Architects, two are members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and one is a member of the American Philosophical Society.

Degrees: NC State offers bachelor's degrees in 100 fields of study, master's degrees in 101 fields, and doctoral degrees in 59 fields, in addition to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. More than 5,200 degrees are awarded each year. NC State has 10 colleges and schools: Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Design, Education, Engineering, Natural Resources, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Textiles, and Veterinary Medicine.

Budget: The university has an annual budget of approximately $865 million. Total research and sponsored program expenditures exceed $440 million.

Technology Transfer: As one of the Southeast's leading universities for technology transfer, NC State holds more than 350 patents, and is listed as one of the nation's top three universities in technology transfer. The university typically receives more than $8 million in royalty income from licensing of patents per year, placing it among the top 15 universities in the nation in royalty income. A new $10 million venture capital investment fund, called the Centennial Venture Partners Fund, has launched 10 new research start-ups associated with the university during its first full year.

For more facts about NC State, visit the University Planning & Analysis office.