While the term "Ivy League" is sometimes
applied, mistakenly, to any distinguished liberal arts college in
the United States, the League actually includes only eight
schools. They are: Brown University, Columbia
University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard
University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania and
These eight colleges and universities are among
the oldest and most prestigious in the United States, however, the
Ivy League itself was first established in 1954 as an
athletics conference, interestingly enough. The
original intent of the Ivy League was to foster success in
intercollegiate sports without compromising the schools'
self-imposed high academic standards. For years, these schools
have allied together in basketball, football, ice hockey,
baseball, track and field, swimming and other sports.
The Ivy League members all located in the
Northeastern US have an illustrious academic heritage and
very high admissions standards. Five were established in the
18th century, while the US was still a British colony.
Harvard University, the nation's oldest, was founded earlier in
1636, only 16 years after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth.
Cornell University was established later in 1865.
While many other US colleges and universities
are just as highly rated and competitive as these well-known
academic institutions, the cachet of an Ivy League education can't
be denied. Here are the members:
The Ivy League Members
University (enrollment: 7,490)
is a private nondenominational institution in Providence, Rhode
Island, a scenic city that
has undergone a great deal of historic restoration recently.
Established in 1764, Brown University is the nation's
seventh-oldest university. The school takes pride in the
fact that it was the first to welcome students of all religious
persuasions. Today, diversity and intellectual freedom
remain important hallmarks of the renowned university.
about 80 percent of the student body can select from more
than 80 majors. The
school also offers 38 masters-level programs and 34 Ph.D.
School of Medicine is one of the nation's youngest medicine
schools. However, it
has gained national recognition for its family medicine and
primary care expertise. A
central feature of the curriculum is its unique commitment to
integrating medical studies and the liberal arts. In fiscal year 1999, the university faculty attracted $81
million in government and private funding to perform research.
(enrollment: 18,617) was founded in 1754 as King's College
by a royal charter of King George II of England. It is the nation's fifth oldest university, and is located
in New York City. During
the American Revolutionary War, classes were suspended for eight
years. When the
school reopened in 1784 it had a new name Columbia that
embodied the emerging nation's patriotic fervor.
university has 16 active Faculties and 70 active academic
College, the oldest part of the university, offers Bachelor of
Arts degrees in 65 subjects. The Graduate School of Journalism, founded by Joseph
Pulitzer, is the nation's oldest and is very highly regarded.
The Faculty of Medicine was the first to offer the Doctor
of Medicine in North America. And the new Morris A. Schapiro Center for Engineering and
Physical Science Research is expected to enhance Columbia's
leadership position in telecommunications and high tech research.
(enrollment: 19,000) is located in Ithaca, New York,
although two of its medical graduate and professional programs are
in New York City. Established
in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, the university
is a private endowed university and the federal land-grant
institution of New York State. It is also a partner of the State University of New York.
can select from seven colleges and schools, ranging from
architecture to engineering. Cornell awarded the nation's first
university degree in veterinary medicine and the first doctorates
in electrical engineering and industrial engineering. It also established the first four-year schools of hotel
administration and industrial and labor relations in the country.
Twenty-seven Nobel laureates have been affiliated with
Cornell as faculty members or students. The university ranked first in funds allocated by the
National Science Foundation for programs in academic science and
engineering in 1996-97 (the most recent data available).
College (enrollment: 5,500) is the nation's ninth-oldest college and was
founded in 1769 by Reverend Eleazar Wheelock. It was the last institution of higher learning established
under Colonial rule, and was built on land provided under charter
from King George III of England. The private, four-year college is located in
Hampshire. At the
heart of the school is Baker Library, one of the oldest research
libraries in the United States.
liberal arts college has 16 graduate programs in the arts and
it is home to the nation's fourth oldest medical school, the
nation's first professional school of engineering and the world's
first graduate management school. The college prides itself on providing a small, intimate
learning environment, while at the same time featuring a renowned
faculty and curricular breadth found typically at large research
universities. Famous alumni include Kanichi Asakawa, the founder
of Asian Studies in the United States (1899) and pioneering
biologist E.E. Just (1907).
University (enrollment: 18,000) is the nation's oldest institution of higher
learning, and certainly one of the world's most famous. Established in 1636, Harvard is a coeducational private
school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Six presidents of the United States have graduated from
Harvard, and its faculty has produced more than 30 Nobel
University is comprised of Harvard and Radcliffe colleges as
well as 10 professional and graduate schools. The Harvard Law School is the nation's oldest continuously
operating law school. The
Kennedy School of Government's 16,000 graduates from more than 120
countries have headed governments on five continents. And the Harvard Business School was the first to require a
college degree for admission to its business program. The university includes the Dumbarton Oaks Research Center
and the Center for Hellenic Studies, both in Washington, D.C., and
Villa I Tatti, in Florence, Italy, for Italian Renaissance
University enrollment: 6,350) was established in 1746 as the College of,
Jersey by a charter in the name of King George II of England. The
private, coeducational, liberal arts institution is located in
Princeton, New Jersey. The fourth college to be established during the Colonial
Era, the school played an active role during the Revolutionary
administration building (Nassau Hall) was briefly the seat of the
Continental Congress (July to November 1783). The college
president at the time, John Witherspoon, was the only ordained
clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence. Princeton was given its present name in 1896.
offers undergraduates more than 1,300 courses in 34 departments
and numerous certificate programs. Students may earn a certificate in one area, while majoring
in another. The Graduate School offers programs in the humanities,
social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, architecture,
public affairs, and urban and regional planning. Please note: Graduate work is not offered in business,
education, law, medicine or theology.
of Pennsylvania enrollment: 21,855) was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin.
This private coeducational institution is located in
It was the nation's first school to be designated a
university, and many of its graduates played vital roles in the
American Revolution. In
fact, eleven signers of the American Constitution were associated
with the college.
of Pennsylvania offers students four undergraduate and twelve
graduate schools. The
Wharton School is the world's first collegiate business school,
and the School of Medicine is the nation's first medical school.
The University Museum has important collections of archaeological
(especially Near Eastern, Classical and Egyptian) and ethnological
artifacts. Three of
the faculty members are Nobel Prize recipients and two are
Pulitzer Prize winners. Approximately
19 percent of the student population originated from other
University (enrollment: 10,851) was established in 1701 as
the Collegiate School. Its name was later changed to Yale.
The private liberal arts coeducational institution is
located in New Haven, Connecticut.
2000 marked the start of Yale's yearlong 300th birthday
celebration, featuring numerous events, exhibitions, publications
undergraduate belongs to one of twelve residential colleges, which
offers the intimacy of a smaller school with the educational
opportunities of a larger university. Students live and dine and socialize in these colleges.
Yale also features a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
and ten renowned professional schools. The Yale University School of Medicine is considered a
leading center for biomedical research, education and advanced
health care. The
university's library system is the world's seventh largest
research library, with more than 10 million volumes.