Now Reading
10 Oldest Colleges in the USA

10 Oldest Colleges in the USA

10 Oldest Colleges in the USA

Do you ever ponder regarding what are some of the oldest colleges in the United States? The history of higher education in America is older than the Declaration of Independence. It may seem surprising, but many American colleges have a history of establishments even before America became an independent country in 1776.

Well, colleges are categorized oldest in the U.S. in order by year of their establishment.  While being listed as the oldest college some factors are to be kept in mind in order to rank these colleges. They are:

  • Being chartered, licensed or accredited by the appropriate US higher education-related organization.
  • Offering at least four-year undergraduate degrees i.e. bachelor degrees or postgraduate degrees i.e. master or doctoral degrees.
  • Delivering courses primarily in a traditional, face-to-face, non-distance education format.

Below are some of the oldest colleges in the USA. All of these US universities date back in the 17th century, before and during the American Revolution that started in 1765. So let’s have a look:

1. College of William & Mary:

Established in 1693, the College of William & Mary is the second oldest college in America. The college was named after its British monarchs i.e. King William all and Queen Mary ll who was reigning at that time. It is also the first school in the U.S. to establish a code of conduct for students. The notable U.S president Thomas Jefferson was an alumnus of this college. Acceptance Rate of this college is 33%. Despite being old, the college has got several rankings in the nation and also in the world.

Rankings of College of William & Mary:

Ranks 8 of 790 in Best Colleges for Education in America

14 of 290 in Best Colleges for Chemistry in America

9 of 668 in Top Public Universities in America

Address: P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187

Website: https://www.wm.edu

2.  St. John’s College:

Annapolis Originally founded as “King William’s” school in 1696, it is a private liberal arts college which was later renamed as “St. John’s College” in 1784. The school has two campuses, one in Annapolis and the other in Santa Fe. Students are free to transfer between the campuses in Annapolis and Santa Fe. The school has no religious affiliation despite its name and has an acceptance rate of 87%.

Ranking of St. John’s College:

94 of 560 in Best Colleges for Anthropology and Sociology in America

94 of 224 in Best Colleges for International Relations in America

Address: 60 College Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401

Website: https://www.sjc.edu

3. Washington College:

Washington College is a private liberal art college located in Chestertown, Maryland. established in 1723 and chartered in 1782 Washington College became the first college chartered after American independence from the British, under the patronage of President George Washington who lent his name, donated 50 guineas to the school’s founding, and served as the school’s first Board of Visitors and Governors. It 1891, the school became coeducational.  It is a small institution with an enrollment of 1,456 undergraduate students. The College’s acceptance rate is 56% which makes admission is fairly competitive. Business, Biology, and Economics are some of the popular majors.

Ranking of Washington College:

2 in Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Maryland

94 of 560 in Best Colleges for Anthropology and Sociology in America

94 of 224 in Best Colleges for International Relations in America

Address: 300 Washington Ave, Chestertown, MD 21620

Website: https://www.washcoll.edu

4. Moravian College:

Established in 1742, Moravian College is a private liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania founded by Moravian or descendants of followers of the Bohemian Reformation.

It was the first institution to educate women as well as Native Americans in their own language. It also traces its roots to be the first boarding school for women in the U.S as Bethlehem Female Seminary. The school became coeducation in 1954.

It is a small institution with an enrollment of 1,886 undergraduate students. Admission is somewhat competitive as the Moravian College acceptance rate is 86%. Popular majors include Nursing, Business, Sociology, Biological Sciences, Psychology, and Health Sciences.

Ranking of Moravian College:

62 in Best Value Colleges in Pennsylvania

255 of 618in Best Colleges for Nursing in America

551 of 1,592 in Best Value Colleges in America

Address: 1200 Main St, Bethlehem, PA 18018

Website: https://www.moravian.edu

5. Dartmouth College:

Established in 1769, Dartmouth located in Hanover, New Hampshire is a highly rated private college founded before the American Revolution as one of the nine Colonial Colleges, the college was incorporated as “Trustees of Dartmouth College.” It was started as a men’s college earlier but became coeducation in 1972.

It is also one of the oldest colleges in the USA and also the most respected institutions of higher learning in the United States and is also a member of the Ivy League. It has an enrollment of 4,417 undergraduate students. Admission is extremely competitive as the Dartmouth acceptance rate is 12%. Popular majors include Economics, Political Science and Government and Computer Science. Once graduated, Dartmouth alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $58,900. Dr. Seuss is a notable alumnus of this school.

Ranking of Dartmouth College:

1 in Best Colleges in New Hampshire

6 of 1,603 in Colleges with the Best Professors in America

6 of 82 in Best Colleges for Global Studies in America

 8 of 560 in Best Colleges for Anthropology and Sociology in America

Address: 207 Parkhurst Hall, Hanover, NH 03755

Website: https://home.dartmouth.edu

6. College of Charleston:

Established in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is one of the oldest nationally recognized public college located in historic Charleston, South Carolina. The College of Charleston is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability with an acceptance rate of 78%.  The beautiful campus, combined with modern facilities and innovative and advanced programs, attracts students from all over the U.S. and around the world. Popular movies like “The Notebook,” “Dear John” and “The Patriot” all were filmed in the scenic beauty of the College of Charleston.

The college is small but blended with the advantages of a mid-sized university. Business, science, technology, teaching, the humanities, languages, and the arts are some popular programs. Today, the College of Charleston has seven academic schools, the Honors College, and the Graduate School of the University of Charleston, South Carolina.

Ranking of College of Charleston:

4 in Top Public Universities in South Carolina

40 of 163 in Best Colleges for Public Health in America

Address: 66 George St, Charleston, SC 29424

Website: https://www.cofc.edu

6. Salem College:

Salem College is a small, private, residential liberal arts college for women that was founded in 1772. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, it is the oldest continuously-operating school in the nation dedicated to women’s education with an enrollment of 673 undergraduate students. Admission is fairly competitive as the Salem acceptance rate is 60%. Business, Education and Communications, are some popular majors.

Ranking of Salem College:

16 in Best Value Colleges in North Carolina

196 of 525 in Best Colleges for Criminal Justice in America

217 of 647 in Best Colleges for History in America

329 of 1,664 in Hardest Colleges to Get Into in America

Address: 601 S Church St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Website: https://www.salem.edu

8. Dickinson College:

Dickinson College is a nationally recognized private liberal arts college that was established in 1773 initially as the Carlisle Grammar School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania but was pushed to become college hence got named Dickinson College. It was chartered after one decade in 1783. Founded by Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence, the college maintains the mission to provide a useful education in the liberal arts and sciences.  With an acceptance rate of 48%, the college is fairly competitive. Popular majors include international business, economics, and political science.

Ranking of Dickinson College:

52 in Best Liberal Arts Colleges in America

38 of 82 in Best Colleges for Global Studies in America

52 of 211 in Best Liberal Arts Colleges in America

 57 of 984 in Best Small Colleges in America

Address: 272 West High Street, Carlisle, PA 17013

Website: https://www.dickinson.edu

9. Hampden-Sydney College:

 Established in 1775, Hampden-Sydney College is a private liberal arts college located in Virginia. One of only three men’s colleges in the United States, Hampden-Sydney is also the last college established just prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

It is a small institution with an enrollment of 1,039 undergraduate students. Admission is fairly competitive as the Hampden-Sydney acceptance rate is 47%. The school is renowned for its major in Business, History, Economics, and Biology.

Ranking of Hampden-Sydney College:

4 in Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Virginia

91 of 211 in Best Liberal Arts Colleges in America

94 of 290 in Best Colleges for Chemistry in America

96 of 647 in Best Colleges for History in America

Address: PO Box 667, Hampden Sydney, VA 23943

Website: http://www.hsc.edu

10. Washington & Jefferson College:

Washington & Jefferson is a small private liberal arts college located in Washington, Pennsylvania with around 1,400 students. In 1781 Washington College was formed after the American Revolution due to the merging of three log cabin schools. During the end of Civil War in 1865, the school, located in Washington, Pennsylvania, merged with Jefferson College to become Washington & Jefferson College

Admission is fairly competitive as the Washington & Jefferson acceptance rate is 42%. Popular majors include Psychology, Business, and Economics.

Ranking of Washington & Jefferson College:

425 in Best Colleges in America

106 of 211 in Best Liberal Arts Colleges in America

 174 of 647 in Best Colleges for English in America

 176 of 984 in Best Small Colleges in America

Address: 60 S Lincoln St, Washington, PA 15301

Website: https://www.washjeff.edu

The oldest colleges in America are still some of the most prestigious universities in the USA. There is no doubt regarding their quality of education. Teachers are highly reputed and have earned their degrees from top-notch universities. They collaborate with students in harmonious ways to provide the best knowledge and education. National students from all over the U.S and international students come and study in these prestigious universities. Even notable historic figures are alumni of these institutions.

What's Your Reaction?
Excited
0
Happy
0
In Love
0
Not Sure
0
Silly
0
View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Scroll To Top