College campuses are places for learning and growing, but they’re also the backdrop for innumerable photos and cherished memories. When you’re touring a college, looks aren’t everything – but they sure do matter. From stunning natural landscapes to amazing architecture, here are 12 of the most beautiful college campuses in the U.S.
Berry College
This college sure is sweet! Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga., is the largest contiguous college campus in the world. With all that space, you can fit a lot of beautiful sights. The castle-like Ford Campus features grand English Gothic style buildings and reflecting pools. Students can also explore the on-campus Lavender Mountain, home to the historical House o’ Dreams, Old Mill and Possum Trot School.
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College, a women’s college in Bryn Mawr, Pa., is often considered one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. The campus has been designated as an arboretum, and there are beautiful trees like Weeping Higan Cherry, Maidenhair and Star Magnolia throughout. Visitors can even pick up a tree tour brochure to help guide them through the college’s natural beauty. In addition to the trees, the buildings at Bryn Mawr feature Collegiate Gothic architecture, some dating back to the late 1800s.
The College of William & Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is the second oldest college in the country, behind Harvard. Established in 1693, this historic college is home to the 1695 Sir Christopher Wren building (the oldest college building in the country), the picturesque Sunken Garden and the idyllic Lake Matoaka. William & Mary is also right next to Colonial Williamsburg, a gorgeous living history museum – and two lucky students get to live there each year.
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Georgetown University
Nestled in the picturesque Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., Georgetown University overlooks the Potomac River. With a mix of Collegiate Gothic and Georgian styles, the architecture definitely makes the grade. Healy Hall, designed by the architects who built the Library of Congress, is a National Historic Landmark.
Kenyon College
Whether it’s sporting autumn leaves or beneath a blanket of crisp, white snow, Kenyon College in Ohio is one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. Students and visitors alike will enjoy the 10-foot wide Middle Path, which runs through the length of the campus, framed by benches and towering sugar maples. Want to study? Head to Chalmers Library, a stately building filled with natural light.
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is right in the middle of nature, sitting atop Palatine Hill and right next to the Tryon Creek State Natural Area in Portland, Ore. This forested campus is a blend of old and new, with old manor buildings standing right alongside newer, environmentally friendly construction.
Mount Holyoke College
This women’s college in South Hadley, Mass., was founded in 1837 and is the oldest member of the Seven Sisters. The Mount Holyoke campus features a lush botanic garden and many historic red brick buildings, like Mary Lyon Hall. Students will enjoy the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum and the Village Commons.
Princeton University
You might have heard that Princeton is a pretty good school. But along with its academic rigor, it also offers a beautiful campus. This Ivy Leaguer in New Jersey features a variety of buildings in the Collegiate Gothic style, as well as some older buildings in the High Victorian Gothic and Romanesque Revival styles. The oldest building on campus, Nassau Hall, was constructed in 1756 and briefly served as the capitol of the United States in 1783.
Sewanee: The University of the South
Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., is filled with Collegiate Gothic style buildings constructed from local stone. The All Saints’ Chapel features massive stained glass windows, including a rose window inspired by Notre Dame (the French cathedral, not the college). Students will enjoy a campus filled with forests, lakes, trails and a burbling natural creek.
Stanford University
Stanford University in California is one of the largest college campuses in the country, and it’s also one of the most beautiful. Its architectural identity, filled with red-roofed Spanish Colonial buildings, purposefully separates it from the colleges and universities on the East Coast. One of the most notable Stanford landmarks is the Hoover Tower, which is a bell tower and the tallest building on campus.
SUNY Geneseo
This tiny public school in Western New York makes the list partially due to its natural beauty. The SUNY Geneseo campus sits on the edge of the picturesque Genesee Valley, and the views to the west are breathtaking at any time of day. However, Geneseo is most beautiful when it is bathed in its signature fiery sunsets over the valley. In addition to the lovely landscape, Geneseo has many attractive buildings, like the ivy-draped Welles Hall, the stately clock tower on Sturges Hall and even the sleek Integrated Science Facility.
The University of Washington
The University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast. Nestled in the bustling city of Seattle, the University of Washington still feels a world away, featuring priceless views of Mount Rainier, cherry blossoms blooming in the quad and grand, Collegiate Gothic style academic buildings. Look familiar to some other colleges on the list? The same architects, Cope and Stewardson, designed many of the buildings at the University of Washington, Princeton University and Bryn Mawr College at the turn of the century.
Was your college beautiful or historic? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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108 Thoughts on “Colleges With the Most Beautiful Campuses”
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The Madison campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University is stunning. Formerly owned by the Vanderbilt/Twombly families, classes are held in the mansion and the main entrance meanders under their private train stop and down a path to the mansion.
as already noted by others, you missed three schools that are generally on all lists of most beautiful colleges: my alma mater: colgate University and two schools my sons went to: UC Santa Barbara and Florida Southern college
The University of California at Santa Barbara is probably the most beautiful campus I’ve ever seen (I’m an alumna). It has a mile of beachfront, a lagoon, and a view of the Santa Ynez Mountains. https://www.ucsb.edu/
Drew University (aka “the university in the forest”) deserves to be on this list!
How part of the student’s tuition goes towards maintaining the campus and debt service on the beautiful buildings?
Colleges have no incentives to keep their costs down,
Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey offers a most inviting campus on the grounds of the former George Jay Gould estate. As freshmen we lived in the Mansion itself along with some of the Sisters of Mercy. Our physical education classes were held in the Casino with indoor tennis courts, marble pool, bowling alleys (among the oldest in the country) and the gym floor covering what was originally an indoor polo field. From the Japanese Garden (where Mrs. Gould held tea parties) and the Italian Gardens with their replica of the Fountain of Apollo from Versailles to the Lagoon which opens onto Lake Carasaljo you will be inspired artistically and intellectually.
University of Rhode Island is gorgeous with it’s combination of old classic and new buildings .
You missed Boston College!
Did you look at Wellesley College in Massachusetts another of the Seven Sisters? The campus was designed by the same architect who design Central Park NYC.
Should look a Nichols College. Set on a hill in the small town of Dudley Massachusetts. Has some beautiful views in the fall with foliage all around. Started as an Academy in 1815 and has been in continuous service except for closing during WW II. (Back then it was an all-male school, and all the students went off to war.) Has an array of modern buildings set between some buildings that go back 100 years with an original building dating to 1804. Now has a little more than 1000 students. Up until the 1970’s the town of Dudley had a volunteer fire department and relied on other towns departments. So, sometime in the 1950″s Nichols purchased a used fire truck and the students organized their own fire department to become early responders for the college and the rural section of the community. Also, back then Nichols was ahead of its time as it provided a degree in Forestry when very few colleges and universities did so.
https://www.nichols.edu/news/nichols-college-named-a-college-of-distinction-in-2022-2023-cohort/
My husband was a1972 graduate of Nichols,a great school.He loved the small friendly atmosphere.He spoke about the beautiful views of the campus from the library.
This list lost all credibility by not including Duke University. Easily 1 of the 3 top campuses in the world.
Totally agree with Damien, probably #2. Lore has it that when James B. Duke decided to transform Trinity college into D.U., he took his architect to Princeton and told him to “build me a college like this”.
Ditto to Damien Moore! I can’t think of a more beautiful campus! Nor one with the Nasher Museum or the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. One can easily get lost wandering its paths.
Colgate University in Hamilton New York is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen.
I absolutely agree. My daughter, Jean-Marie attended Colgate and we loved visiting the campus.0
Did you overlook my alma mater, Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, because it is a “small school”? Founded while we were still a colony (1773), established as the first college founded in the U.S. (1783), with a central campus anchored by 18th- and 19th-century buildings that are now integrated with modern buildings designed for their utility but also for their compatibility with the existing architecture. The school’s growth and academic programs have looked to the future (one of the first colleges with a study-abroad program, a leader in environmental programs and buildings, a small college with its own farm where best-practices are developed and applied) and honored its past. Go take a look and see if you don’t fall in love.
Thank you! I was missing Dickinson as well. One of the great traditions at Dickinson is the walk up the old Stone Steps into “Old West” (West College,1804) to sign in as a first-year, and 4 years later to walk down the old Stone Steps as a senior going out into the world. (Class of ’74)
Take a look at High Point University in NC!
You just beat me to it! My daughter graduated from HPU in May and I am so going to miss visiting that stunning campus!
HPU’s campus is like no other. Proud that our son graduated from High Point University in 2017. AAA and all, please check the campus out. You won’t want to leave.
My daughter went to Florida Southern University in Lakeland, Fl. Most of the buildings were by Frank Lloyd Wright. The fountain was magnificent.
Marist College is on the Hudson River with views of the Catskill Mountains
Living local to Marist and having my wife graduate there I have to say it is a pretty campus!
Agree with a reviewer on TripAdvisor: “UCLA is the crown jewel of the California University system.” The campus has expansive lawns, a diverse (and labelled) collection of fascinating trees and excellent views throughout. Also a sculpture garden with renowned artists, an arboretum, an inverted fountain, and Romanesque architecture, which recalls the Mediterranean climate of Italy that we have in Southern California also. A campus worth visiting as a tourist attraction.
I think that Colby College in Waterville, Maine is one of the prettiest campuses you will find. It sits atop a hill with an arboretum and a pond and beautiful view along with buildings that fit into the surroundings. The view from the library is unbeatable on a clear day.
I don’t see any HBCUs on this list…. How could AAA allow this oversight to occur??
Hi Michelle. I think we can say that all HBCUs are beautiful. The architecture at Morgan State University in Maryland is particularly notable. And there’s a nice overview video on its website homepage.
How could you leave out Ole Miss- The University of Mississippi !