Founded in 1839, the University of Missouri-Columbia is the first public university west of the Mississippi River and the first state university in Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase. It is one of only 34 public universities and is the only public university in the state of Missouri. Preparing students for the future, Mizzou is one of six universities in the nation that provides schools in medicine, veterinary medicine, and law all on one campus. Many opportunities are awaiting the diverse enrollment of 28,000 students from every county in Missouri, every state, and 100 countries around the world.