The Land Grant Act of 1862, known as the Morrill Act, offered tracts of federal lands to states as an incentive for establishing college programs in agricultural, industrial, military, and scientific studies. Some states applied the grants to one institution, while other states to several institutions. Awards generally went to public institutions, but in a few situations private colleges such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology won them. Throughout the United States, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands there are 72 land-grant colleges and universities.