Oklahoma State University's main campus in Stillwater enrolls approximately 20,000 students in 8 different colleges. OSU is famous for its well-planned campus, modified Georgian architecture and beautiful landscaping. At the heart of the OSU campus stands as the largest and most comprehensive union in the world. Visitors enjoy all the services available: bookstore, theatre, both formal and informal food service, shopping mall, recreation center, travel agency, and hair salons.

Early Stillwater was miles from any railroad, a life line for supplies, new people, and a town's survival. Several settlers who homesteaded in and near Stillwater had received some education at land-grant colleges. They were aware of the importance of education for the new territory and recognized the government's financial support which the college would receive.

On Christmas Day, 1890, the First Legislative Assembly of the Oklahoma Territory created an Agricultural and Mechanical College. By 1896, six graduates received diplomas in the first permanent building. That hall, known affectionately today as Old Central, houses the Oklahoma Museum of Higher Education.