{"id":156449,"date":"2022-10-31T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kiiky.com\/?p=156449"},"modified":"2023-11-19T12:31:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-19T12:31:10","slug":"oldest-universities-in-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kiiky.com\/oldest-universities-in-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Oldest Universities In USA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In this article, we’ll list the oldest universities in USA that spearheaded the educational renaissance in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To understand the present and future of the United States educational system, it is imperative to study the history of university education in the U.S. by tracing it back to its beginnings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the United States, education is seen as a force for social change, social mobility, and broader democratization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1749, one of the founding fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin stressed the importance of having a central location to teach the country\u2019s youth. Even before then, the colonists knew that education was a critical part of furthering the nation; the first institution of higher education in the country opened its doors back in the 1600s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To qualify to be on our list of oldest universities in America, the schools must still be educating students today. Let the countdown begin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
This list of oldest universities in USA was selected on the basis of the year of establishment and its operational status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Year Founded: 1785 <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Founder:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The University of Georgia<\/a><\/strong> is the United States\u2019 first state-chartered university and also one of the oldest universities in USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chartered by the state of Georgia in 1785, the University of Georgia is the birthplace of public higher education in America \u2014 launching our nation\u2019s great tradition of world-class public education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With its comprehensive reach, the university\u2019s 17 colleges and schools enroll more than 38,000 students and have produced over 332,000 alumni living worldwide. The University of Georgia\u2019s initiatives extend globally while touching every corner of the state, realizing the university\u2019s land- and sea-grant missions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The University of Georgia inspires the next generation to grow stronger through global research, hands-on learning, and extensive outreach. Additionally, the university attracts students nationally and internationally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here to see University of Georgia’s acceptance rate<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1781<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington College <\/strong>formed in 1782 after the American Revolution due to the merging of three log cabin schools. During the Civil War, the school, situated in Washington, Pennsylvania, merged with Jefferson College to become Washington & Jefferson College, a small liberal arts institution with more than 1,400 students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington & Jefferson College is a four-year, residential college committed to fostering the personal and professional success of our students through interconnectedness, hands-on learning experiences, and individualized academic programs. With a long legacy of ethical leadership, W&J College gives students of talent and passion a place to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n W&J students discover their unique gifts and interests while profiting from a personalized educational experience intended to meet the needs of each individual. Their students often graduate with more than one major, and many take advantage of the opportunity to create a customized major of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEE ALSO: 20 Best Colleges In Washington State | Rankings<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1780<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder: Approved by Governor Thomas Jefferson<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Established in 1780, Transylvania is one of the oldest university in USA and the oldest university in west of the Allegheny Mountains<\/strong>. They\u2019ve set generations of students on a path where education is seen as the bedrock to excel in their fields<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first classes are held near Danville, Ky, in the cabin of the first chairman of the Board of Trustees, the Reverend David Rice, founder of the First Presbyterian Church west of the Alleghenies (in Danville).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Transylvania University, located in the heart of downtown Lexington, Kentucky, is a renowned private liberal arts college featuring a community-driven, personalized approach to a liberal arts education<\/a><\/strong> through its 46 majors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A complete college experience is more than what happens on campus. Here, students gain access to internships and jobs, community service, arts and culture, interaction with a diverse population and numerous other opportunities that will make you career and grad school ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU MAY WANT TO SEE: Transylvania University Tuition, Scholarships and Cost of Living<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1775<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hampden-Sydney, one of the oldest colleges in the United States, established in 1775. It also the last American college founded in British Colonial America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Located on a 1,300-acre campus in Virginia’s beautiful Southside, the campus’s central portion has been designated a National Historic Preservation Zone. It includes Cushing Hall (1822-1833), originally called New College, and Venable Hall (1825-1830), originally Union Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hampden-Sydney College is one of the country’s few remaining private colleges that specializes in educating and developing young men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Hampden-Sydney, every student has the opportunity to develop the ability to lead. they offer many paths to explore and sharpen your skills. No matter which path you choose, you will strengthen your ability to work effectively with others and to make a difference in your community, your workplace, and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Small classes and an engaged community create the kind of environment where young men learn best. The student-to-faculty ratio at Hampden-Sydney is 10:1, which means that students have tremendous guidance from professors in an intimate and collaborative environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MUST READ: Effective Life Skills Curriculum For College Students | SAMPLES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1773<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder:<\/strong> Benjamin Rush<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chartered in 1783 by Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a prominent Philadelphia physician<\/a><\/strong>, Dickinson was the first college established in the new United States of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, students are encouraged to be actively engaged with the wider world and challenged to think differently and act boldly. Dickinsonians are guided by a core set of tenets\u2014to be decisive, useful, curious, and unafraid to take risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dickinson College produces critical thinkers who see how everything is connected. Graduates forever ready to make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With over 2,345 full-time students from across 38 U.S. states and 49 countries in the world, Dickinson College provides a useful, innovative and interdisciplinary education in the liberal arts and sciences to prepare students to lead rich and fulfilling lives of engaged global citizenship, working for the common good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1772<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder:<\/strong> Moravian community of Salem <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Salem College<\/strong> traces its history to April 1772, when the Moravian community of Salem, North Carolina, founded a school for girls and appointed Sister Elisabeth Oesterlein as its first teacher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As the oldest educational institution for girls and women in America, Salem Academy, and College has a proud history of fostering independence in women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Salem College, a liberal arts college for women, values its students as individuals, develops their unique potential, and prepares them to change the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Salem College operates as a single-gender institution nearly 150 years after its founding. However, men 23 years of age and older are admitted into the school\u2019s graduate degree programs and its Continuing Education program through the Martha H. Fleer Center for Adult Education. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Salem College was a trailblazer in early American civil rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Salem, students can earn bachelor\u2019s degrees in a number of fields and industries as well as master\u2019s degrees in both teaching and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1770<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder: Lieutenant Governor William Bull <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina<\/a><\/strong>, the College of Charleston is a nationally recognized public liberal arts and sciences university. Founded in 1770, the College is among our list of oldest universities in USA. It also tops the chart as the nation\u2019s top universities for quality education, student life, and affordability. Its beautiful and historic campus, combined with contemporary facilities, cutting-edge programs, and accessible faculty attracts students from across the U.S. and around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n College of Charleston looks to be a transformative national university redefining liberal arts education through innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With its stellar location, vibrant student life, and devoted faculty, the College of Charleston is truly one of the nation\u2019s great public universities offering 63 majors, 81 minors, 22 master\u2019s degree programs, and 9 graduate-level certificate programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n U.S. News & World Report ranks the College a No. 5 top public colleges in the south, the No. 3 ranked college for veterans among southern institutions, the No. 8 most innovative school in the region, the No. 8 best colleges for undergraduate teaching in the south and the best value regional college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEE ALSO: 20 Historically Black Colleges in the World<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1769<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder: Eleazar Wheelock<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The 14th oldest university in USA on our list is Dartmouth University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, a Puritan minister, Dartmouth began as a men\u2019s college but started to admit women as full-time students and undergraduate degree candidates in 1972 amid much controversy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy League<\/a><\/strong> and consistently ranks among the world\u2019s greatest academic institutions. Home to a celebrated liberal arts curriculum and pioneering professional schools, Dartmouth has shaped the education landscape and prepared leaders through its inspirational learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The College has forged a singular identity, combining its deep commitment to outstanding undergraduate liberal arts and graduate education with distinguished research and scholarship in the Arts & Sciences and its three leading professional schools\u2014the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ranked No. 1 in undergraduate teaching for the last four consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report and recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as a \u201cresearch university with very high research activity,\u201d Dartmouth combines elite academics with thriving research and scholarship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dartmouth is home to about 4,200 undergraduates in the liberal arts and 1,900 graduate students in more than 25 advanced degree programs in the Arts & Sciences and at Dartmouth\u2019s professional schools: the Geisel School of Medicine, the nation\u2019s fourth-oldest medical school; Thayer School of Engineering, one of the nation\u2019s first professional schools of engineering; and the Tuck School of Business, the world\u2019s first graduate school of management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1766<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Officially known as Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers University<\/a><\/strong> was first chartered in 1766 as the all-male Queen\u2019s College, named in honor of King George III\u2019s Queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg. To pay tribute to Revolutionary War veteran Colonel Henry Rutgers, the school changed its name to Rutgers College in 1825 and then again to Rutgers University 100 years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, stands among America\u2019s highest-ranked, most diverse public research universities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With hundreds of degree programs, locations across New Jersey, and 71,000-plus students, Rutgers delivers something for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As one of the leading comprehensive public research universities in the nation, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, provides for the instructional needs of New Jersey\u2019s residents through its undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With three campuses located in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden and an enrollment reaching nearly 70,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Rutgers is one of the largest universities in the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to U.S. News and World Report, Rutgers University stands out as the best public university in New Jersey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1764<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brown has earned a global reputation for its innovative undergraduate and graduate educational experience, rooted in its flexible yet academically rigorous Open Curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Founded in 1764, Brown is one of the oldest universities in USA and a leading research university home to world-renowned faculty, and also an innovative educational institution where the curiosity, creativity, and intellectual joy of students drives academic excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brown\u2019s academic excellence is rooted in a student-centered model of learning. The Open Curriculum is a flexible but rigorous approach to education that pushes students to be creative thinkers, intellectual risk-takers, and entrepreneurial problem-solvers. Their undergraduate and graduate programs offer students intensive learning and research experiences<\/a><\/strong>, that help develop each scholar\u2019s interest and idea within their intended specialty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students leave Brown prepared to thrive as independent, innovative leaders, no matter what path they choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With over 7,043 undergraduate students and 2,629 graduate students, the school is now comprised of an undergraduate school known as The College as well as the Graduate School, the School of Professional Studies, the School of Public Health, the School of Engineering, and the Alpert Medical School. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1754<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder: King George II of England<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Columbia University<\/a><\/strong> was founded in 1754 as King’s College by the royal charter of King George II of England. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and one of the oldest colleges in US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1897, the university moved from Forty-ninth Street and Madison Avenue, where it had stood for forty years, to its present location on Morningside Heights at 116th Street and Broadway. Seth Low, the president of the University at the time of the move, sought to create an academic village in a more spacious setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Columbia University <\/a><\/strong>is one of the world’s most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The University offers an outstanding and comprehensive array of academic programs. These include three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools, a world-renowned medical center, four affiliated colleges and seminaries, twenty-five libraries, and more than one hundred research centers and institutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEE ALSO: Columbia University Acceptance Rate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1749<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder: George Wahington & <\/strong>General Robert E. Lee<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, is a nationally ranked, small, private, liberal arts university nestled in the mountains of western Virginia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As one of the oldest universities in USA, they believe in the education of the whole person, and value students who are intellectually curious, eager to engage with their communities, inclined to critical thinking, and prepared to lead lives of consequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Founded in 1749, the tiny school was initially known as Augusta Academy and was located in Augusta County, Virginia. After relocating a number of times during the ensuing decades, Augusta Academy was operating in Timber Ridge, about 10 miles from Lexington, when it was renamed Liberty Hall Academy in 1776, in response to the patriotic fervor then sweeping the Colonies. In 1782 the academy moved into a small frame building on the edge of what is now the W&L campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors, while choosing from a remarkable variety of majors and minors, courses, and in-depth study opportunities \u2014 usually found only at large institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At W&L you have the flexibility to combine interests and pursue different passions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Year Founded: 1746<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Founder: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational Status: Active<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chartered in 1746, Princeton is the ninth oldest college in the United States. The University has been led by 20 presidents, spanning colonial times to the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The value of service is central to the mission of Princeton as a liberal arts university. It infuses the passions and pursuits of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and is essential to how Princetonians serve the public good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Princeton<\/a> <\/a><\/strong>provides undergraduate and graduates instruction in engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, and it offers professional degrees through the Bendheim Center for Finance, the School of Architecture, the School of Engineering and Applied Science<\/strong>, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Between 2001 and 2018, Princeton ranked either first or second among national universities by #20 Washington & Jefferson College<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#19 Transylvania University<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#18 Hampden-Sydney College<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#17 Dickinson College<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#16 Salem College<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#15 College of Charleston<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#14 Dartmouth College<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#13 Rutgers University<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#12 Brown University<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#11 Columbia University<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#10 Washington and Lee University<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#9 Princeton University<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n