U.S. Historic colleges and universities
While some higher education institutions in the U.S. opened very recently in the modern era, many were founded centuries ago – even before the nation declared independence from Great Britain. The following nine colleges and universities, which were established before the 1750s, are rooted in history and sometimes religion. Their notable alumni include presidents, founding fathers and signers of the Declaration of Independence. Some played central roles in major conflicts – like the American Revolution – by housing soldiers in academic buildings. Four of the country's nine oldest four-year schools are Ivy Leagues and all nine are located on the East Coast.
1. Harvard University (MA) - 1636
Founded in 1636, Harvard University is considered the first college in the American colonies, according to its website. The Massachusetts Ivy League held its first commencement ceremony in 1642 with nine graduates. In 1764, 11 years before the start of the American Revolution – during which campus buildings quartered soldiers – the original Harvard Hall burned down, destroying about 5,000 book volumes. The Harvard Annex was founded in 1879, more than 200 years after the school's establishment, allowing women to receive educational instruction from Harvard faculty members. Over the years, Harvard established many graduate programs in areas such as business, arts and science, law, education, design and public administration. Famous undergraduate and graduate alumni include presidents John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
2. William & Mary (VA) - 1693
Although plans for the creation of William & Mary date back to 1618, the Virginia-based school wasn't officially chartered by King William III and Queen Mary II of England until 1693 – 57 years after Harvard. William & Mary thus officially became the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S. and the first with a royal charter, according to William & Mary's website. The college also established the nation's first law school. Throughout its history, the Sir Christopher Wren Building – now considered the oldest college building still standing in the U.S. – burned down three times and was reconstructed inside its original walls. William & Mary enrolled several founding fathers, including presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Tyler and James Monroe.
3. St. John's College (MD) - 1696
St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, was founded three years after William & Mary – 1696 – making it the third-oldest college in the U.S. Completed in 1789, McDowell Hall, which was the former governor's mansion, is one of the country's oldest academic buildings in continuous use despite a fire in 1909, according to St. John's website. The interior of the building was renovated in 2017. In 1951, more than 250 years after the college was established, the first class of women was admitted. The college opened a second campus in Santa Fe 13 years later in 1964 and enrolled 81 students in its first freshman class. Francis Scott Key, who wrote the "The Star-Spangled Banner," is a notable alumnus.
4. Yale University (CT) - 1701
Yale University was established in 1701 in the
coastal town of Saybrook, Connecticut. But 15 years later, the school's
trustees voted to move the campus to its current New Haven location. The
institution was officially named Yale College in 1718, and over the next
century founded the first church within a college; taught the first modern
science course; established law and medical schools; opened the Western
Hemisphere's first college art museum; formed the first literary review; and
started "Yale Daily News," the oldest college daily newspaper in the
U.S., according to the school's website. Four Yale graduates signed the
Declaration of Independence: Philip Livingston, Lyman Hall, Oliver Wolcott and
Lewis Morris. Yale's campus became a military training center and research
laboratory during World War II.
5. University of Pennsylvania - 1740
Planning for the University of Pennsylvania began in 1740, but construction stalled after expenses got too high. In 1749, Benjamin Franklin put together a group of 24 trustees that purchased the unfinished building. Penn's doors opened two years later as the Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania. The school graduated its first class of students in 1757, created the American colonies' first medical school and went on to become a designated university in 1779. Franklin, one of the most influential figures in the founding of the U.S., served as president of the school for four years – between 1751 and 1755 – before becoming a trustee until his death in 1790.
6.Moravian University (PA) - 1742
Pennsylvania-based Moravian University was founded as two schools in 1742: one for women and one for men. A year later, a second boy's school opened, which eventually merged with the other in 1759 to create Nazareth Hall. In 1785, the school for girls opened to students outside the Moravian Church, becoming the Moravian Female Seminary. Twenty-two years later, an extension of Nazareth Hall was named the Moravian College and Theological Seminary. The state chartered both the Moravian Female Seminary and the Moravian College and Theological Seminary to grant baccalaureate degrees in 1863. However, it was nearly a century later – 1954 – before the schools combined to become a coeducational undergraduate institution, the first in the Lehigh Valley, according to Moravian's website.
7. University of Delaware - 1743
The University of Delaware was established in 1743, a year after Moravian. Several students in the school's inaugural class signed the Declaration of Independence and one – George Read – also signed the U.S. Constitution. In 1765, the school moved from New London, Pennsylvania to Newark, Delaware. It became a degree-granting institution in 1834, known as Newark College, and was renamed Delaware College nine years later. In 1921, the school merged with a neighboring women's college to become the University of Delaware. The public policy and administration school is named after President Joe Biden, who represented Delaware as a U.S. senator from 1973 to 2009 and is an alumnus alongside First Lady Jill Biden.
8. Princeton University (NJ) - 1746
Princeton University was first chartered as the College of New Jersey in 1746. Over the next decade, the school moved around the state from Elisabeth to Newark and eventually landed at its current location in Princeton. The Ivy League's Nassau Hall was at the center of a Revolutionary War battle. In 1777, British troops surrendered Nassau Hall – which sustained damage by both sides – to future U.S. President Gen. George Washington. Six years later, the building served as the U.S. capitol when it housed the Continental Congress for about six months. The College of New Jersey officially became Princeton University in 1896, and the university competed in the first intercollegiate football game – in 1869 against Rutgers University, another New Jersey school.
9. Washington and Lee University (VA) – 1749
George Washington and Gen. Robert E. Lee played major roles in developing Washington and Lee University, hence the school's current name. It was founded as Augusta Academy in 1749, but almost three decades later the Virginia school was renamed Liberty Hall Academy in 1776. Facing financial challenges in 1796, Liberty Hall received James River Canal Company stock shares from Washington, a financial gift so large that it benefits the university even today. Over the next century, the school's name changed again several times – including Washington Academy and Washington College – before officially becoming Washington and Lee University in 1870. The name change was to honor progress made under Lee, who served as the institution's president for five years, until his death in 1870.
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