Brigham Young University (often referred to as BYU or, colloquially, The Y) is a private research university located in Provo, Utah, United States. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and, excluding online students, is the largest of any religious university and the 3rd largest private university in the United States, with 29,672 on-campus students. Approximately 99 percent of the university's 30,000 students are members of the LDS Church, and one-third of its American students come from within the state of Utah.