Final answer:
Penn State was designated as a land grant university in 1855 under the Morrill Act. It was not the only land grant university.
Step-by-step explanation:
Penn State was designated as a land grant university in 1855 under the Morrill Act. The Morrill Act of 1862 was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln and provided federal land grants to establish colleges that focused on agriculture and mechanical arts. It was not the only land grant university; there were many others established across the United States.