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:
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:
- Massachusetts - Harvard University - 1636
- Virginia - College of William & Mary - 1693
- Maryland - St. John's College - 1696
- Connecticut - Yale University - 1701
- Pennsylvania - University of Pennsylvania - 1740
- Delaware - University of Delaware - 1743
- New Jersey - Princeton University - 1746
- New York - Columbia University - 1754
- Rhode Island - Brown University - 1764
- 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