as the largest university in one of the nation’s most iconic cities, temple educates diverse future leaders from across philadelphia, the country and the world who share a common drive to learn, prepare for their careers and make a real impact. founded as a night school by russell conwell in 1884, temple university has evolved into an international powerhouse in higher education. temple is a top-tier research institution with roughly 40,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, 17 schools and colleges, eight campuses and hundreds of degree programs.