MAP: The Oldest College In Every State

Higher-education information website eCollegeFinder has put together this great map showing the oldest college in each state based on when they first opened their doors to students.

The colleges represented on the map range from some of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country to flagship state universities. The oldest college in the country — Massachusetts’ Harvard University — has been open since 1636, while University of Alaska Fairbanks is less than a century old.

Research for this map was conducted by eCollegeFinder’s Mike Simmons.

Via eCollegeFinder, these are the oldest colleges in the country:

Via eCollegeFinder

eCollegeFinder also compiled a helpful list of the top 10 states with the oldest schools — all of which are older than the United States — and an excellent state-by-state breakdown of just how old each school is:

Top 10 Colleges With The Most Applications:

1. Massachusetts — Harvard University — 1636


2. Virginia — College of William & Mary — 1693


3. Maryland — St. John’s College — 1696


4. Connecticut — Yale University — 1701


5. Pennsylvania — University of Pennsylvania — 1740


6. Delaware — University of Delaware — 1743


7. New Jersey — Princeton University — 1746


8. New York — Columbia University — 1754


9. Rhode Island — Brown University — 1764


10. New Hampshire — Dartmouth College — 1769

Oldest College By State:

Alabama — University of North Alabama

• Location — Florence, AL


• Date Founded — 1830

Alaska — University of Alaska Fairbanks

• Location — Fairbanks, AK


• Date Founded — 1917

Arizona — University of Arizona

• Location — Tucson, AZ


• Date Founded — 1885

Arkansas — University of the Ozarks

• Location — Clarksville, AR


• Date Founded — 1834

California — Santa Clara University

• Location — Santa Clara, CA


• Date Founded — 1851

Colorado — University of Denver

• Location — Denver, CO


• Date Founded — 1864

Connecticut — Yale University

• Location — New Haven, CT


• Date Founded — 1701

Delaware — University of Delaware

• Location — Newark, DE


• Date Founded — 1743

Florida — Florida State University

• Location — Tallahassee, FL


• Date Founded — 1851

Georgia — University of Georgia

• Location — Athens, GA


• Date Founded — 1785

Hawaii — University of Hawaii at Manoa

• Location — Honolulu, HI


• Date Founded — 1907

Idaho — Brigham Young University – Idaho

• Location — Rexburg, ID


• Date Founded — 1888

Illinois — McKendree University

• Location — Lebanon, IL


• Date Founded — 1828

Indiana — Vincennes University

• Location — Vincennes, IN


• Date Founded — 1801

Iowa — Loras College

• Location — Dubuque, IA


• Date Founded — 1839

Kansas — Baker University

• Location — Baldwin City, KS


• Date Founded — 1858

Kentucky — Transylvania University

• Location — Lexington, KY


• Date Founded — 1780

Louisiana — Centenary College of Louisiana

• Location — Shreveport, LA


• Date Founded — 1825

Maine — Bowdoin College

• Location — Brunswick, ME


• Date Founded — 1794

Maryland — St. John’s College

• Location — Annapolis, MD


• Date Founded — 1696

Massachusetts — Harvard University

• Location — Cambridge, MA


• Date Founded — 1636

Michigan — University of Michigan — Ann Arbor

• Location — Ann Arbor, MI


• Date Founded — 1817

Minnesota — University of Minnesota — Twin Cities

• Location — Minneapolis, MN


• Date Founded — 1851

Mississippi — Mississippi College

• Location — Clinton, MS


• Date Founded — 1826

Missouri — Saint Louis University

• Location — St. Louis, MO


• Date Founded — 1818

Montana — Rocky Mountain College

• Location — Billings, MT


• Date Founded — 1878

Nebraska — Peru State College

• Location — Peru, NE


• Date Founded — 1867

Nevada — University of Nevada – Reno

• Location — Reno, NV


• Date Founded — 1874

New Hampshire — Dartmouth College

• Location — Hanover, NH


• Date Founded — 1769

New Jersey — Princeton University

• Location — Princeton, NJ


• Date Founded — 1746

New Mexico — New Mexico State University

• Location — Las Cruces, NM


• Date Founded — 1888

New York — Columbia University

• Location — New York, NY


• Date Founded — 1754

North Carolina — Salem College

• Location — Winston Salem, NC


• Date Founded — 1772

North Dakota — University of North Dakota

• Location — Grand Forks, ND


• Date Founded — 1883

Ohio — Ohio University

• Location — Athens, OH


• Date Founded — 1804

Oklahoma — University of Central Oklahoma

• Location — Edmond, OK


• Date Founded — 1890

Oregon — Willamette University

• Location — Salem, OR


• Date Founded — 1842

Pennsylvania — University of Pennsylvania

• Location — Philadelphia, PA


• Date Founded — 1740

Rhode Island — Brown University

• Location — Providence, RI


• Date Founded — 1764

South Carolina — College of Charleston

• Location — Charleston, SC


• Date Founded — 1770

South Dakota — Augustana College

• Location — Sioux Falls, SD


• Date Founded — 1860

Tennessee — Tusculum College

• Location — Tusculum, TN


• Date Founded — 1794

Texas — Southwestern University

• Location — Georgetown, TX


• Date Founded — 1840

Utah — University of Utah

• Location — Salt Lake City, UT


• Date Founded — 1850

Vermont — Castleton State College

• Location — Castleton, VT


• Date Founded — 1787

Virginia — College of William & Mary

• Location — Williamsburg, VA


• Date Founded — 1693

Washington — University of Washington

• Location — Seattle, WA


• Date Founded — 1861

West Virginia — Bethany College

• Location — Bethany, WV


• Date Founded — 1840

Wisconsin — Carroll University

• Location — Waukesha, WI


• Date Founded — 1846

Wyoming — University of Wyoming

• Location — Laramie, WY


• Date Founded — 1886

 

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MAP: The Oldest College In Every State