coeducational institution of higher learning in Mankato, south-central Minnesota, U.S. It is the most comprehensive of the seven universities in the Minnesota State University system. The Mankato campus was founded in 1868 as Mankato Normal School, the second such normal (teacher-training) school in Minnesota. All the normal schools in the system became teachers colleges in 1921, when they were granted the right to award four-year degrees. In 1957 they were designated state colleges, having been authorized to grant master's degrees in 1953. In 1975 the schools all gained university status. By 1979 the university had relocated campus operations from the valley region near the Minnesota River to a highland area overlooking the city. In 1998 its name was officially changed from Mankato State University to Minnesota State University, Mankato. Total student enrollment is approximately 14,000.

The university comprises six colleges—allied health and nursing; arts and humanities; business; education; social and behavioral sciences; and science, engineering, and technology—as well as a graduate college. It awards associate and bachelor's degrees, and several preprofessional programs are available. Master's and specialist degrees are also awarded in a variety of programs. Campus facilities include the Trafton Science Center, two astronomical observatories, the Minnesota River Basin Data Center, and the Center for Rural Policy and Development.