Did you know that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both studied at one of the oldest universities in the world? The College of William and Mary or (W&M). But that’s not all, there’s more that awaits you to turn the pages of history and peep through their journey. So, ready to jump on the wagon and discover the oldest universities in the US? Let’s explore the top 15 oldest colleges in the US, where the roots of American education run deep.
15 Top Oldest Universities in the USA
Did you know that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both studied at one of the oldest universities in the world? The College of William and Mary or (W&M). But that’s not all, there’s more that awaits you to turn the pages of history and peep through their journey. So, ready to jump on the wagon and discover the oldest universities in the US? Let’s explore the top 15 oldest colleges in the US, where the roots of American education run deep.
1. Harvard University
Year of Establishment: 1636
Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance Rate: 6%
Alumni: Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates, Natalie Portman
QS Ranking: #4
“Harvard University’s Widener Library boasts 57 miles of shelf space and can accommodate over three million volumes.”
Harvard University is the first university in the United States, or so the claim has been for 100s of years. It is considered the oldest university in the US. The curriculum at the oldest universities in the US, included the requirement of Latin for applications. Once accepted, the students had to take up courses in other languages, such as Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, through dramas and histories. In the current date, Harvard boasts of some of the most popular alumni networks in the world. With notable landmarks such as the Widener Library and the Harvard Yard, Harvard is truly the oldest American university.
2. College of William & Mary
Year of establishment: 1693
Location: Williamsburg, VA
Acceptance Rate: 33%
Alumni: U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, Jon Stewart, Glenn Close
QS Ranking: #901-950
“The College of William and Mary is the birthplace of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.”
The College of William & Mary has a distinguished history as one of the oldest colleges in the US. The college has a traditional walk ceremony for newly enrolled students during the convocation ceremony, called ‘Welcome Home’, where the faculty and important members of society greet them. The College of William and Mary recently got mass media coverage for renewing the traditional walk for the 2023-2024 students. As one of the oldest universities in the United States, the campus features historic buildings, including the Sir Christopher Wren Building, which is still in use.
3. St John’s College
Year of establishment: 1696
Location: Annapolis, MD
Acceptance Rate: 87%
Alumni: Francis Scott Key, Jacob Bronowski, Caleb Carr
QS Ranking: #161-170
“The students of St. Johns College were called Red Men before Red Storm owing to the Native American Heritage.”
St. John’s College is one of the oldest public universities in the US with an elaborate history of 143 years. The liberal arts college has campuses in Annapolis, Maryland and Santa Fe in Mexico, with a unique approach to providing education. One of the oldest colleges in the US, St. John’s College remains one of the best universities in the US today due to its adaptable nature. The oldest university in the US launched its new logo, redesigned university crest, and an online Johnnie Store, recently.
4. Yale University
Year of establishment: 1701
Location: New Haven, CT
Acceptance Rate: 6%
Alumni: U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Meryl Streep, Paul Krugman
QS Ranking: #16
“Yale was named after a wealthy British Merchant, Elihu Yale, who made several donations.”
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, is one of the most prestigious and oldest colleges in the US, originally chartered by the colonial legislature of Connecticut in 1701. It boasts one of the most beautiful urban campuses in the USA, with tree-lined pathways and canopies. Being the third oldest American university, it went through a lot of changes over the period, such as the name from Collegiate College to Yale in 1716. Consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the world, one of the oldest universities in the US, once emphasized classical studies and orthodox Puritanism adherence.
5. University of Pennsylvania
Year of establishment: 1740
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance Rate: 10%
Alumni: U.S. President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Andrea Mitchell
QS Ranking: #12
“The Penn University remained unfinished for over a decade.”
Also known as Penn, the University of Pennsylvania is another private Ivy League Research University with a diverse student body with more than 26,000 students studying in the 100 undergraduate majors and 200 graduate programs offered. Being one of the oldest universities in the United States, it has some historic buildings like the Fisher Fine Arts Library and the Franklin Field stadium. The University of Pennsylvania also offers students the opportunity to acquire an education of the highest quality while being a part of a diverse and intellectually stimulating community established in 1740!
6. Moravian University
Year of establishment: 1742
Location: Bethlehem, PA
Acceptance Rate: 86%
Alumni: H. Richard Niebuhr, John Amos Comenius, Jeffery D. Long
“George Washington’s nieces studied here.”
Moravian University is a small private liberal arts university with a long history and a commitment to academic excellence. The university offers over 50 undergraduate majors and minors alongside top graduate programs. Moravian’s notable alumni include some of the most influential thinkers and scholars of their time, reflecting the university’s commitment to producing leaders in a variety of fields. The students are engaged in research, internships, and study abroad programs to further interdisciplinary learning and hands-on experience.
7. University of Delaware
Year of establishment: 1743
Location: Newark, DE
Acceptance Rate: 68%
Alumni: U.S. President Joe Biden, Elena Delle Donne, Scott Isaacs, Beverly Daniel Tatum
“According to The Kissing Arches legend, couples will be blessed with marriage if they kiss five times beneath the triple brick arches near Memorial Hall.”
The need for an educated clergy led Reverend Dr. Francis Alison to foundation one of the oldest universities in the US. The initial proposal for a free school in New London, Pennsylvania, led to one of the oldest universities in the US. The university also shifted its location to New Ark, where it was finally renamed from the New Ark College to the current University of Delaware in 1843.
Within less than 20 years, the institute was designated as one of the land grant colleges in the US. The iconic Memorial Hall and the state-of-the-art Roselle Center for the Arts still survive, reminiscent of the architectural wonder they displayed.
If you are planning to apply to any of these universities, make sure you check the requirements for their entrance exams. These universities mainly focus on exams such as the SAT and GRE.
8. Princeton University
Year of establishment: 1746
Location: Princeton, NJ
Acceptance Rate: 7%
Alumni: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, Jeff Bezos, Michelle Obama
QS Ranking: 17
“On November 19, 1969, Charles “Pete” Conrad, a 1953 graduate, became the 3rd person to walk on the moon & placed a Princeton flag on it.”
One of the oldest American colleges, Princeton University, was initially The College of New Jersey until 1896. One of the many prolific achievements of the oldest college in the US was a series of Olympic gold, silver, and bronze in short put, discus, long jump, and high jump in 1896 by Robert Garrett. If we look at some of the revolutionary moves in current times by one of the oldest colleges in the US, it has embarked on a journey for a net-zero campus.
9. Washington and Lee University
Founded: 1749
Location: Lexington, VA
Acceptance Rate: 19%
Alumni: John W. Davis, Robert E. Lee, Tom Wolfe
QS Ranking: #21
“George Washington provided 100 shares of stock in the James River Canal Company to sustain the institution.”
Named after George Washington and Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who was also its president after the Civil War, Washington and Lee University is one the oldest colleges in the US. One of the pioneering institutions has been renamed multiple times, starting from Augustus Academy to the current Washington and Lee University in the year 1813, after the 100 shares donation by George Washington. The iconic Lee Chapel and Museum, which is dedicated to the life and legacy of Robert E. Lee, stands as a testimony of the good work in America even during the period of unrest and wars, both outside and within the US.
10. Columbia University
Year of establishment: 1754
Location: New York City, NY
Acceptance Rate: 7%
Alumni: U.S. President Barack Obama, Warren Buffet, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
QS Ranking: #23
“The Student Homophile League is the nation’s oldest student-run LGBTQ+ rights organization.”
One of the oldest colleges in the US, Columbia University, initially known as King’s College, stands on the land where the Battle of Harlem Heights was fought during the American Revolution. It is also among the nine oldest colleges in the US to have been chartered in the American colonies. Apart from being the pioneer and one of the oldest colleges in the US, the university was the first to introduce M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) in 1770.
11. Brown University
Year of establishment: 1764
Location: Providence, R.L.
Acceptance Rate: 9%
Alumni: John D. Rockefeller Jr., Emma Watson, Jeffrey Eugenides
QS Ranking: 73
“Brown University’s first chancellor, Stephen Hopkins, was an original signer of the Declaration of Independence.”
Brown University was the 7th college in colonial America, making it one of the oldest American universities. The College of Rhodes received its current name in 1801 after the generous donation of $5,000 by the businessman Nicholas Brown. The beautiful campus features the historic Van Wickle Gates and modern Friedman Hall. Also, the university tries very hard and innovative ways to safeguard historical trees, such as the American Beech, American Elm and Eastern Hemlock Trees, which are linked to the prolific history of the oldest US university.
12. Rutgers University
Year of establishment: 1766
Location: New Brunswick, NJ
Acceptance Rate: 60%
Alumni: Milton Friedman, James Gandolfini, Kristen Davis
QS Ranking: #771-780
“The Yokoi Brothers were the first Japanese students of Rutgers in 1866.”
Rutgers University started as Queens College and got its current name in 1825 after Colonel Henry Rutger, a Revolutionary War Hero. It is one of the oldest colleges in the US, with a history dating back more than 250 years, before the American Revolution. You can say as one of the nine universities founded during the colonial era of America, the bricks of the college saw the country take shape. Apart from being one of the founding and oldest colleges in the US, the university also expanded globally by sending its students to study abroad under the “Junior Year Abroad”. Currently, students of Rutgers from all backgrounds and fields of study can enrol in the study abroad program at one of the oldest universities in the US.
13. Dartmouth College
“The Rassias Method® for foreign language was invented by Dartmouth Professor John Rassias in the 1960s.”
Year of establishment: 1769
Location: Hanover, NH
Acceptance Rate: 12%
Alumni: Dr. Seuss, Robert Frost, Shonda Rhimes, Mindy Kaling
QS Ranking: #=237
Being founded in the 60s definitely puts it on the list of the oldest colleges in the US. Knowing Dr. Seuss studied here itself implies how brilliant, one of the first and oldest universities in the US is. Dartmouth College is a 269-acre campus built on the riverbank of the Connecticut River. The foundational objective of one of the oldest colleges in the US was to impart education to the youths of Indian tribes, English youth, and others. Owing to the unwavering commitment, there are more than 1,200 native graduates in the alumni circle and more than 200 students representing 70+ tribal nations and communities.
14. College of Charleston
Year of establishment: 1770
Location: Charleston, SC
Acceptance Rate: 78%
Alumni: Shepard Fairey, Pat Conroy, Stephen Colbert
QS Ranking: #1648
The College of Charleston is a public liberal arts and sciences university offering 70+ undergraduate and graduate programs to its more than 10,000-student student body! The college also offers study abroad programs in over 60 countries, promoting international experience and cultural exchange. Internships, research, and service-learning are provided to the students to ensure they are prepared for the future. The iconic Randolph Hall is a testament to its status as one of the oldest colleges in the U.S.
15. Salem College
Year of establishment: 1772
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Acceptance Rate: 60%
Alumni: Elizabeth O. Hiller, Emily Prager, Cindy Hensley McCain
QS Ranking: 501-600
Salem College is a private women’s liberal arts college and one of the oldest colleges in the US for women. With a small student population of 1,100, the college is renowned for its focus on women’s leadership and empowerment. The college offers a variety of leadership development programs, including the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program, the Leadership Institute, and the Women in Public Service Project.
The oldest colleges in the US have produced some of the most influential thinkers, leaders, and innovators of our time. So, if you are looking for a reason to study in the USA, look no further than these oldest colleges in the US! If you are planning to apply to any of these mentioned universities, make sure you check the requirements for their entrance exam, such as SAT and GRE.