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The Morrill Act (formally the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862) is the federal law that gave each state public land, or scrip standing in for land, to be turned into a permanent fund for colleges teaching agriculture and the mechanic arts. Its sponsor was Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont, and the National Archives dates the act July 2, 1862. This page sets out the act’s actual grant mechanics as conditions a state had to meet, then explains the 1890 and 1994 extensions and why the “land-grant” label still matters for federal research funding. Facts below are as described on the National Archives, APLU, MIT Libraries and USDA NIFA pages on 2026-10-29.
What was the Morrill Act, and what was its purpose?
The Morrill Act of 1862 donated public lands to the states and territories that agreed to provide colleges. Its stated purpose, in the act’s own words as reproduced by the National Archives, was “the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes.” The colleges were to teach agriculture and the mechanic arts, alongside other scientific and classical studies. “Morrill Act definition” questions are answered by that sentence: a land-for-colleges statute, not a research-funding program in itself.
Grant terms and conditions of the 1862 act
Read as a compliance checklist, the act is short and specific. Each row below traces to the National Archives milestone document.
| Term | What the act provided |
|---|---|
| Size of grant | 30,000 acres of public land for each senator and representative the state had under the apportionment then in force. |
| States without public land | Received land scrip instead of land in the state. |
| Mineral lands | Excluded from the grant. |
| Use of proceeds | Invested as a perpetual fund; the capital stays undiminished and only the interest may be spent, on the endowment, support and maintenance of at least one college. |
| Land purchases | Not more than 10 percent of the amount a state received could buy sites or experimental farms. |
| Buildings | The fund could not be used for buildings. |
| Lost or diminished funds | The state had to replace them. |
| Deadline | At least one college had to be provided within five years of accepting the grant, or the grant would cease. |
| Reporting | The colleges made annual progress reports, and state governors reported annually to Congress. |
| Eligibility | States in rebellion were excluded. |
The National Archives notes the grants eventually exceeded 100 million acres in total.
Compliance steps the act imposed on a state
- Accept the grant by legislative action.
- Take the land or scrip and convert it to an invested, undiminished principal.
- Establish at least one qualifying college within five years.
- Spend only interest, never on buildings, and keep the 10 percent site-and-farm cap.
- File the annual reports the act required.
The Second Morrill Act (1890)
The Second Morrill Act of 1890 differed from the first in two ways: it granted money rather than land, and it addressed racial exclusion. It required states with race-restricted admission either to establish separate land-grant institutions for Black students or to show that admission was not restricted by race. The National Archives links it to the founding of institutions including Alabama A&M, Prairie View A&M and Tuskegee. APLU calls institutions designated under it the “1890 land-grants.”
The 1994 land-grant institutions
APLU defines a land-grant institution as one designated by its state legislature or Congress to receive benefits under the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890 or the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. The 1994 act extended land-grant status to Native American tribal colleges, giving the “1994 land-grants.” APLU reports one land-grant institution in each state, in six territories and in the District of Columbia, and some states have more than one.
Which university was the first land-grant university?
The act does not name a first institution, and APLU’s definition does not either. “First” therefore depends on what you count: the first state to accept the grant, the first college created under it, or an earlier agricultural college later designated. A state could also divide its grant between schools, so the answer differs by the test you apply. Individual universities make their own “first” claims on their history pages.
Was MIT a land-grant institution?
Yes. MIT Libraries’ guide on MIT and other land-grant universities states that in 1863 MIT was named, along with the Massachusetts Agricultural College, a land-grant institution of Massachusetts. The same guide says MIT’s first classes were held in Boston’s Mercantile Building in 1865.
Why it matters for research funding today
NIFA’s capacity-grants page describes funds distributed “on the basis of statutory formulas,” with eligibility limited, “most of which are 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant institutions.” So the 1862, 1890 and 1994 categories above are the eligibility vocabulary in USDA formula funding. For competitive rather than formula funding, see our guide to USDA NIFA AFRI program areas and how to submit.
Related programs named on the NIFA page
| Program (as titled by NIFA) | Type |
|---|---|
| Hatch Act of 1887 and Hatch Act Multistate Research Fund | Capacity (formula) grant |
| Smith-Lever Act Capacity Grant | Capacity (formula) grant |
| Smith-Lever Act Sections 3(b) and 3(c) Special Needs Capacity Grant | Capacity (formula) grant |
| McIntire-Stennis Capacity Grant | Capacity (formula) grant |
Common mistakes
- Treating the Morrill Act as a research-grant program. The 1862 act funded colleges through a land endowment; formula research funding came through later programs such as those in the table.
- Calling every land-grant institution an “1862 institution.” APLU separates the 1862, 1890 and 1994 categories.
- Assuming the 1890 act granted land. It granted money.
- Assuming the grant could pay for buildings. The 1862 act barred it.
Where it sits in the wider picture
Land-grant disciplines such as agricultural science and agronomy trace their institutional home to this system. For how funders attach conditions to money, compare the cooperative agreement definition, and for non-government alternatives see private foundation research funding.
Frequently asked questions
What was the Morrill Act of 1862?
A federal law dated July 2, 1862 that granted each state 30,000 acres of public land per senator and representative, or scrip, to fund at least one college teaching agriculture and the mechanic arts.
What was the Second Morrill Act?
The 1890 act. It granted money instead of land and required separate land-grant institutions for Black students, or proof that admission was not race-restricted.
Which university was the first land-grant university?
The sources do not name one; the answer depends on whether you mean first to accept, first founded under the act, or first designated. See the section above.
Was MIT a land-grant institution?
Yes, named in 1863 alongside the Massachusetts Agricultural College, per MIT Libraries.
What was the purpose of the Morrill Land Grant Act?
“The liberal and practical education of the industrial classes,” through colleges teaching agriculture and the mechanic arts.
Sources
- National Archives, Morrill Act (1862) milestone document, checked 2026-10-29.
- APLU, What is a land-grant university?, checked 2026-10-29.
- USDA NIFA, Capacity grants, checked 2026-10-29.
- MIT Libraries, MIT and Other Land Grant Universities, checked 2026-10-29.
