Universities in the 19th century were relatively small institutions.  Here are some statistics on IU's student and faculty populations in the 1800s.

1824 - 13 students and 1 faculty member

1840 - 64 students and 6 faculty

1850 - 97 students and 7 faculty

1873 - 194 students and 13 faculty

1885 -  156 students and 19 faculty

Comparison:  Students Enrolled in 1850 at Yale-453, Harvard-358, Princeton-251, Virginia-222,  Columbia-135, Miami of Ohio-66, Michigan-64.

IU graduated an average of 6 students a year between 1830 and 1851.

The growth of universities is a product of the 20th century as the enrollment statistics at IU make quite clear.

1900 – 600 Students

1920 – 2,356 Students

1940 – 5,403 Students

1950 – 10,715 Students

1960 – 14,487 Students

1970 – 30,368 Students

1980 – 31,877 Students

1990 – 35,453 Students

2002 – 38,903 Students