The University of Florida (commonly referred to as Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, space-grant, research university located in Gainesville, Florida.The school traces its institutional roots to 1853.
University of Florida is the third-largest university in the United States, with 50,785 students (as of Fall 2006) and has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year). UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. Florida ranked second among all institutions in the number of National Merit Scholar students enrolled, behind Harvard. Researchers at the University of Florida are responsible for numerous discoveries and inventions, including the commercially popular sports drink Gatorade.