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At the present time, going to highschool after high college is even handed the norm—loads so, that or now not it is tough to imagine there used to be ever a time when elevated training did now not in fact exist. Support within the 1600s, college started as a source of training for these going into the ministry. Years later, the colleges grew to heart of attention on a broader fluctuate of reviews, collectively with medication and law, and at remaining agriculture and engineering. Within the starting, college used to be only an option for men, and for a extraordinarily very long time, there weren’t many colleges within the course of the country. Greater training has attain a much distance since then. Here’s a compare at just a few of the oldest universities within the U.S.—their campuses and classrooms have tons of of historic previous.
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United States Protection power Academy West Level
Established in 1802
Situation: Orange County, New York
The oldest repeatedly occupied protection power post in The US, West Level dates support to the Revolutionary Battle, when every side realized they significant a commanding spot on the west monetary institution of the Hudson River. Well-liked George Washington as soon as idea of West Level as the very finest strategic place in The US. Thaddeus Kosciuszko used to be picked to fabricate the fortifications in 1778, and infantrymen constructed forts, batteries, and more.
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College of South Carolina
Established in 1801
Situation: Columbia, South Carolina
Once called South Carolina College, this college used to be established as a mode to unite South Carolinians after the American Revolution. The founding used to be a a part of the Southern public college scurry spurred by Thomas Jefferson. After surviving an earthquake and a fireplace, the college did now not fabricate it thru the Civil Battle and Reconstruction. It closed in 1861 but used to be revived in 1866.
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Vincennes College
Establishes in 1801
Situation: Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes College is Indiana’s first college. It used to be founded by the ninth U.S. president, William Henry Harrison, whereas he used to be serving as governor of the Indiana Territory. They’ve campuses in Vincennes and Jasper, and additional web sites. They additionally provide instruction at protection power states within the course of the country.
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Middlebury College
Established in 1800
Situation: Middlebury, Vermont
Unquestionably one of many most extremely popular liberal arts colleges within the country, Middlebury has been committed to developing an atmosphere on campus that encourages learning and engaged discourse since they were founded in 1800.
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College of Louisville
Established in 1798
Situation: Louisville, Kentucky
The College of Louisville started out as Jefferson Seminary, which had a tough time surviving: it did now not formally starting up till the autumn of 1813, then closed in 1829. The Louisville Collegiate Institute used to be sooner or later changed to College of Louisville, which inherited the estate of Jefferson Seminary.
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Hartwick College
Established in 1797
Situation: Oneonta, New York
Hartwick College is admittedly microscopic, with only about 1,200 students. Support in 1797, it started as Hartwick Seminary and used to be founded thru the need of John Christopher Hartwick, a Lutheran minister who arrived from Germany in 1746 to manual several mission congregations of early settlers shut to the condo. He had a dream of organising a college that sooner or later changed into a actuality.
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College of South Carolina-Beaufort
Established in 1797
Situation: Bluffton
Surrounded by palm trees with locations on South Carolina’s flit in Bluffton, Beaufort, and Hilton Head Island, the College of South Carolina-Beaufort is a microscopic college with moral over 2,000 students. The student to highschool ratio offers fantastic personalized learning benefits.
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Union College
Established in 1795
Union College used to be the fundamental college charted by the Board of Regents of the Issue of New York. The establish used to be chosen to symbolize the truth that the founders significant the college to be starting up to diversified spiritual and nationwide groups within the course of the condo. Union is nonetheless one in all the oldest non-denominational colleges within the country.
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The College of Tennessee
Established in 1794
Situation: Knoxville, Tennessee
The College of Tennessee used to be founded two years before Tennessee even changed into an legit U.S. express. It used to be first and major chartered as Blount College, and used to be an all-male college that struggled with a microscopic student physique. Since then, it has undergone just a few significant transformations.
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Bowdoin College
Established in 1794
Situation: Brunswick, Maine
Though Bowdoin used to be established in 1794, it did now not originate to in fact fabricate till the 1820s. Distinguished writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow were two early graduates of the college, which is now a non-public liberal arts college.
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Williams College
Established in 1793
Situation: Williamstown, Massachusetts
At the present time, Williams College is is named one in all the most efficient liberal arts colleges in The US. Since it used to be established in 1793, many prominent alumni possess attain out of the college; Pulitzer Prize winners, Nobel Prize winners, participants of Congress and the Supreme Court docket, and even one in all the Presidents of the United States: James Abram Garfield.
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Hamilton College
Established in 1793
Situation: Clinton, New York
Hamilton used to be first called Hamilton-Oneida Academy when it used to be established in 1793, and changed into Hamilton College in 1812 when it used to be named in honor of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. The college did now not enable feminine students till 1978, when it merged with the all-females’s Kirkland College.
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The College of Vermont
Established in 1791
Situation: Burlington, Vermont
The College of Vermont is the fifth oldest university in New England and used to be the fundamental establishment of elevated training to expose public make stronger for freedom of faith. It used to be additionally the fundamental university to enable females and African-Americans into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
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College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Established in 1789
Situation: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did now not originate enrolling students till 1795, but it completely is nonetheless one in all the oldest public universities within the U.S. Many future participants of executive attended the college, collectively with a U.S. president and vice chairman.
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Georgetown College
Established in 1789
Situation: Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit college within the country. U.S. presidents, Supreme Court docket Justices, and diversified high-ranking executive officers are among the alumni of this prestigious establishment.
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Castleton College
Established in 1787
Situation: Castleton, Vermont
Castleton is a microscopic university in Vermont that emphasizes undergraduate liberal arts and expert reviews, and additionally offers graduate capabilities. They are known for microscopic classes with a rising worldwide and diverse inhabitants.
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Franklin & Marshall College
Established in 1787
Situation: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
In 1787, Franklin & Marshall College used to be founded with a beneficiant monetary donation from Benjamin Franklin. It used to be the first bilingual college within the U.S., as classes were taught in both English and German, and it used to be additionally the fundamental coeducational establishment, allowing both men and females to abet (this used to be sooner or later deserted for 182 years).
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College of Pittsburgh
Established in 1787
Situation: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Support in 1787, the College of Pittsburgh used to be is named Pittsburgh Academy and used to be an accurate log cabin that acted as a prep college. It clearly expanded as the years went on, and is now a express-linked compare university.
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College of Georgia
Established in 1785
Situation: Athens, Georgia
In 1785, Georgia changed into the fundamental express to constitution a express-supported university, making the College of Georgia one in all the oldest public universities within the U.S. Many famous alumni possess graced the halls, from executive officers to Emmy and Grammy winners, writers, scholars, poets, and more.
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Washington & Jefferson College
Established in 1781
Situation: Washington, Pennsylvania
W&J College started in 1781, now not long after the American Revolution. Three log cabin colleges merged collectively to change into W&J, and in 1865, it merged with Jefferson College to change into Washington & Jefferson. Mature Predominant, pictured right here, is one in all the most prominent structures on campus.
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Transylvania College
Established in 1780
Situation: Lexington, Kentucky
Affectionately is named Transy, this used to be the fundamental university in Kentucky, though it in fact started in an condo that used to be as soon as is named Virginia. Two U.S. presidents possess graduated from the college.
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Hampden-Sydney College
Established in 1775
Situation: Hampden Sydney, Virginia
Hampden-Sydney, a men’s liberal arts college, used to be the remaining American college founded in British Colonial The US and the relaxation college founded before the American Declaration of Independence used to be signed. It is miles now one in all only three men’s-only liberal arts colleges within the U.S.
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Dickinson College
Established in 1773
Situation: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Dickinson College used to be first and major is named the Carlisle Grammar College and used to be founded in 1773 and charted in 1783, six days after the Revolutionary Battle ended. Thanks to this, Dickinson changed into the fundamental college chartered within the fresh United States.
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Salem College
Established in 1772
Situation: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Salem College is the oldest academic establishment for ladies and females within the U.S. It used to be founded in 1772 by Sister Elisabeth Oesterlein as a boarding college. In 1866, it used to be renamed Salem Female Academy, and in 1890, it started offering college degrees.
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College of Charleston
Established in 1770
Situation: Charleston, South Carolina
The College of Charleston is is named the oldest academic establishment south of Virginia, and used to be founded in a time when only prosperous families despatched their sons to highschool. It is additionally the oldest college in South Carolina.
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Dartmouth College
Established in 1769
Situation: Hanover, New Hampshire
At the present time, Dartmouth is a non-public Ivy League university, but when it used to be established in 1769, it used to be intended to be a college that educated Native Americans in Christian theology and the English arrangement of existence. It will definitely developed to change into one in all the most prestigious colleges within the country.
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Rutgers College
Established in 1766
Situation: New Brunswick, New Jersey
In 1766, Rutgers used to be charted as an all-male college and used to be is named Queen’s College. It used to be renamed Rutgers in 1825 in honor of Colonel Henry Rutgers, a Revolutionary Battle ragged.
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Brown College
Established in 1764
Situation: Windfall, Rhode Island
In 1764, Brown changed into the fundamental college within the U.S. to confess students regardless of their spiritual background. In 1891, they started allowing females into the college. It used to be additionally one in all the doctoral-granting colleges within the country.
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Columbia College
Established in 1754
Situation: New York Metropolis, New York
Support in 1754, Columbia College used to be called King’s College. It used to be renamed Columbia in 1784 after the American Revolution, and is the oldest college in New York. The college has many famous alumni, collectively with Alexander Hamilton, Robert R. Livingston, and John Jay.
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Washington and Lee College
Established in 1749
Situation: Lexington, Virginia
Washington and Lee used to be named after two significant men in American historic previous: George Washington (who gave a donation of $20,000 in 1796) and Robert E. Lee. It used to be first and major called Augusta Academy.
