The Lincoln Institute was formally established for freed African Americans who served in the Civil War as members of the 62nd Regiment, United States Colored Infantry.
The school began to receive aid from the state of Missouri for teacher training.
Lincoln Institute formally became a state institution with the deeding of the property to the state.
Under the second Morrill Act, Lincoln became a land grant institution, mandating research and instruction in agriculture and the mechanical arts.
The Missouri Legislature passed a bill that changed the name from Lincoln Institute to Lincoln University and created a board of curators to govern the university.
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, and Lincoln University responded by opening its doors to all students meeting its entrance criteria.