The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member and flagship of the State University System of Florida. The university traces its origins to 1853 and has operated continuously on its Gainesville campus since September 1906.After the Florida state legislature's creation of performance standards in 2013, the Florida Board of Governors designated the University of Florida as a "preeminent university". The University of Florida is one of three members of the Association of American Universities in Florida and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It is the third largest Florida university by student population and is the fifth largest single-campus university in the United States with 57,841 students enrolled for during the 2020–21 school year. The University of Florida is home to 16 academic colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. It offers multiple graduate professional programs—including business administration, engineering, law, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and veterinary medicine—on one contiguous campus and administers 123 master's degree programs and 76 doctoral degree programs in 87 schools and departments. The university's seal is also the seal of the state of Florida, which is on the state flag, though in blue rather than multiple colors. The University of Florida's intercollegiate sports teams, the Florida Gators, compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). As of 2021, University of Florida students and alumni have won 143 Olympic medals, including 69 gold medals.