Tulane University

Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally founded as a public medical college in 1834, the school grew into a comprehensive university in 1847. The institution was eventually privatized under the endowments of Paul Tulane and Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1884.

Tulane was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1958. Tulane also is designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with "very high research activity." For 2007, Tulane reached the highest level of research funding in its history, exceeding $157.5 million. In 2008 Tulane was ranked by the Ford Foundation as the major international studies research institution in the South and one of the top 15 nationally. The National Institutes of Health ranks funding to Tulane at 79th. The university is home to various research centers, including the Amistad Research Center.