San Jose State University or SJSU was founded in 1857. It is one of the oldest public institutions in the whole of the Western coast and ever since its humble beginnings as a simple school it has come a long way and developed to a great extent. San Jose is located on 154 acres downtown somewhere midway between Monterey Area and the end of San Francisco Bay.

Here are some fascinating facts about San Jose State University.

• San Jose State University has seven colleges under it and offers a total of 65 masters’ degrees and 69 bachelors’ degrees.

• The Main campus of SJSU has a total of 50 major buildings among which 23 are academic buildings and 7 are residence halls alone. They span over 19 city blocks in the downtown area of San Jose.

• It has over 4000 employees working on campus and 30,000 students attending the university.

• San Jose State University produces a major chunk of graduates each year who contribute to the industries of computer science, business, engineering and education, most of whom form the workforce of Silicon Valley.

• This university was the first of its kind in USA to have opened a joint city and university library. Since the Martin Luther King Library opened in 2003, over 13 million people have visited the library and made use of the facilities provided.

• SJSU is one of the top leaders in graduating minorities.

• In the annual survey of ‘America’s Best Colleges’ by US News and World Report, SJSU ranked in the top 15 on basis of master’s level public universities.

• San Jose State University has a wirelessly connected campus throughout the 154 acre campus with 552 access points.

• SJSU is the only campus belonging to the CSU system that offers both graduate and undergraduate programs in the field of nuclear science.

• Business related fields at San Jose State University account for more than 23% undergraduates and also happens to be the most popular field on demand.

• The university ranked among the top 200 on basis for total spending in the field of research and development.

• It has had 28 presidents ever since it had been found in 1857.

• The sports team of San Jose State University are known as the Spartans.

• The annual Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest started in 1982 in the English department and it has been sponsored by San Jose State University since.

• The Tower Hall of the SJSU campus is the oldest building and landmark which was renovated in 2006 under a $2 million renovation project. It also happens to be the state historic landmark number 417.

• The prestigious Event Centre Area on the main campus can seat about 5000 people for athletic events and over 6500 people in event of concerts. It also features an attached basketball court, racquetball court, and recreation centre and weight room.

• In the PayScale survey conducted, SJSU ranked 29th nationally by salary potential on basis of public colleges and universities.

San Jose State University started out as a school that trained teachers for the developing frontier. Today it stands as a metropolitan university offering over 134 areas of study for its students. SJSU celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007.