Kansas State University, originally named Kansas State Agricultural College, was founded in Manhattan on February 16, 1863, during the American Civil War, as a land-grant institution under the Morrill Act. [ 9 ][ 13 ] The school was the first land-grant college created under the Morrill Act. [ 13 ][ 14 ] K-State is the third-oldest school in the Big 12 Conference and the oldest public institution of higher learning in the state of Kansas.