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
SEE ALSO: The 20 Best College Campuses In The US
SEE ALSO: The 20 Most Fun Colleges In America
FOLLOW US! Check Out BI Colleges On Facebook
Join the conversation about this story »