The Inkwell
Rankings
Oldest colleges

The oldest four-year colleges in the United States

Year the college — or the institution it grew from — was founded, as recorded in Wikidata. Top 100 of 1,600 qualifying colleges.

Highest-earning graduates Lowest net price Best graduation rate Most selective Highest SAT scores Lowest student debt Best first-year retention Pell Grant access Largest colleges Earnings vs. price Oldest colleges

#	College	State	Sector	Oldest colleges	Net price	Grad.	Earnings
1	Harvard UniversityCambridge	MA	Nonprofit	1636	$19,148	97%	$121,957
2	William & MaryWilliamsburg	VA	Public	1693	$18,880	88%	$83,488
3	Yale UniversityNew Haven	CT	Nonprofit	1701	$11,340	96%	$118,356
4	Washington CollegeChestertown	MD	Nonprofit	1723	$27,993	66%	$74,001
5	University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia	PA	Nonprofit	1740	$29,577	97%	$121,687
6	Moravian UniversityBethlehem	PA	Nonprofit	1742	$35,264	74%	$66,967
7	University of DelawareNewark	DE	Public	1743	$16,337	78%	$83,800
8	Princeton UniversityPrinceton	NJ	Nonprofit	1746	$7,815	97%	$133,523
9	Washington and Lee UniversityLexington	VA	Nonprofit	1749	$25,279	96%	$102,966
10	Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York	NY	Nonprofit	1754	$15,370	95%	$109,430
11	Brown UniversityProvidence	RI	Nonprofit	1765	$26,976	96%	$99,974
12	Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick	NJ	Public	1766	$24,897	84%	$80,490
13	Dartmouth CollegeHanover	NH	Nonprofit	1769	$26,707	95%	$111,162
14	College of CharlestonCharleston	SC	Public	1770	$18,177	65%	$63,018
15	Salem CollegeWinston-Salem	NC	Nonprofit	1772	$18,975	32%	$50,734
16	Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney	VA	Nonprofit	1775	$26,626	63%	$76,989
17	Transylvania UniversityLexington	KY	Nonprofit	1780	$21,954	65%	$57,381
18	Washington & Jefferson CollegeWashington	PA	Nonprofit	1781	$21,690	66%	$75,646
19	Dickinson CollegeCarlisle	PA	Nonprofit	1783	$28,634	74%	$83,426
20	St. John's CollegeAnnapolis	MD	Nonprofit	1784	$32,917	71%	$52,985
21	University of GeorgiaAthens	GA	Public	1785	$13,636	89%	$77,246
22	Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster	PA	Nonprofit	1787	$33,445	79%	$81,484
23	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh	PA	Public	1787	$29,362	86%	$73,113
24	York College of PennsylvaniaYork	PA	Nonprofit	1787	$21,886	62%	$65,507
25	Georgetown UniversityWashington	DC	Nonprofit	1789	$33,661	94%	$110,516
26	University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill	NC	Public	1789	$11,305	91%	$81,094
27	University of VermontBurlington	VT	Public	1791	$20,277	81%	$68,368
28	Hamilton CollegeClinton	NY	Nonprofit	1793	$25,793	90%	$84,956
29	Williams CollegeWilliamstown	MA	Nonprofit	1793	$15,157	95%	$95,954
30	Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick	ME	Nonprofit	1794	$15,595	93%	$90,153
31	The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleKnoxville	TN	Public	1794	$18,314	74%	$65,090
32	Tusculum UniversityGreeneville	TN	Nonprofit	1794	$20,508	38%	$48,636
33	Union CollegeSchenectady	NY	Nonprofit	1795	$28,128	81%	$95,269
34	Hartwick CollegeOneonta	NY	Nonprofit	1797	$36,296	53%	$66,557
35	University of LouisvilleLouisville	KY	Public	1798	$14,960	60%	$60,032
36	Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury	VT	Nonprofit	1800	$32,102	92%	$85,077
37	University of South Carolina-ColumbiaColumbia	SC	Public	1801	$22,197	79%	$69,024
38	United States Military AcademyWest Point	NY	Public	1802	—	86%	—
39	Ohio University-Main CampusAthens	OH	Public	1804	$20,666	65%	$61,938
40	Mount St. Mary's UniversityEmmitsburg	MD	Nonprofit	1808	$19,294	61%	$69,690
41	Miami University-OxfordOxford	OH	Public	1809	$29,447	81%	$63,814
42	Lycoming CollegeWilliamsport	PA	Nonprofit	1812	$18,815	58%	$60,091
43	Colby CollegeWaterville	ME	Nonprofit	1813	$19,835	87%	$88,776
44	Spalding UniversityLouisville	KY	Nonprofit	1814	$24,262	45%	$55,738
45	Allegheny CollegeMeadville	PA	Nonprofit	1815	$23,895	70%	$68,228
46	Nichols CollegeDudley	MA	Nonprofit	1815	$31,983	54%	$66,716
47	SUNY College at PotsdamPotsdam	NY	Public	1816	$13,628	55%	$53,699
48	University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor	MI	Public	1817	$14,362	93%	$92,832
49	Saint Louis UniversitySaint Louis	MO	Nonprofit	1818	$29,674	79%	$75,998
50	Centre CollegeDanville	KY	Nonprofit	1819	$19,980	79%	$66,582
51	Colgate UniversityHamilton	NY	Nonprofit	1819	$29,409	89%	$96,328
52	Maryville CollegeMaryville	TN	Nonprofit	1819	$20,677	48%	$50,006
53	Norwich UniversityNorthfield	VT	Nonprofit	1819	$26,676	61%	$78,407
54	University of Cincinnati-Main CampusCincinnati	OH	Public	1819	$24,917	75%	$60,832
55	University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville	VA	Public	1819	$18,056	94%	$96,468
56	Indiana University-BloomingtonBloomington	IN	Public	1820	$16,003	80%	$70,105
57	Amherst CollegeAmherst	MA	Nonprofit	1821	$19,536	92%	$95,161
58	George Washington UniversityWashington	DC	Nonprofit	1821	$35,760	82%	$96,691
59	Widener UniversityChester	PA	Nonprofit	1821	$26,151	67%	$76,782
60	Hobart William Smith CollegesGeneva	NY	Nonprofit	1822	$31,617	71%	$80,471
61	Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesBoston	MA	Nonprofit	1823	$43,891	61%	$103,156
62	Trinity CollegeHartford	CT	Nonprofit	1823	$37,004	83%	$103,089
63	Kenyon CollegeGambier	OH	Nonprofit	1824	$33,279	86%	$65,780
64	Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy	NY	Nonprofit	1824	$32,758	80%	$113,011
65	Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphia	PA	Nonprofit	1824	$25,555	71%	$78,311
66	Centenary College of LouisianaShreveport	LA	Nonprofit	1825	$25,053	62%	$59,034
67	Furman UniversityGreenville	SC	Nonprofit	1826	$31,764	74%	$70,201
68	Lafayette CollegeEaston	PA	Nonprofit	1826	$35,879	85%	$102,336
69	Maryland Institute College of ArtBaltimore	MD	Nonprofit	1826	$42,075	71%	$49,751
70	Mississippi Christian UniversityClinton	MS	Nonprofit	1826	$21,034	64%	$54,122
71	SUNY at FredoniaFredonia	NY	Public	1826	$15,275	55%	$56,849
72	Hanover CollegeHanover	IN	Nonprofit	1827	$20,095	68%	$59,112
73	Lindenwood UniversitySaint Charles	MO	Nonprofit	1827	$21,443	56%	$58,321
74	Augusta UniversityAugusta	GA	Public	1828	$12,017	48%	$52,071
75	McKendree UniversityLebanon	IL	Nonprofit	1828	$18,457	51%	$63,391
76	State University of New York at New PaltzNew Paltz	NY	Public	1828	$19,499	69%	$65,774
77	Georgetown CollegeGeorgetown	KY	Nonprofit	1829	$13,270	49%	$55,880
78	Illinois CollegeJacksonville	IL	Nonprofit	1829	$18,763	61%	$57,546
79	Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester	NY	Nonprofit	1829	$37,232	70%	$84,700
80	Capital UniversityColumbus	OH	Nonprofit	1830	$20,550	57%	$58,937
81	Randolph-Macon CollegeAshland	VA	Nonprofit	1830	$28,145	74%	$64,714
82	Spring Hill CollegeMobile	AL	Nonprofit	1830	$21,545	61%	$58,881
83	University of North AlabamaFlorence	AL	Public	1830	$17,850	56%	$50,557
84	University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond	VA	Nonprofit	1830	$34,256	86%	$92,362
85	Denison UniversityGranville	OH	Nonprofit	1831	$40,163	78%	$73,151
86	LaGrange CollegeLagrange	GA	Nonprofit	1831	$17,700	35%	$60,301
87	New York UniversityNew York	NY	Nonprofit	1831	$35,737	88%	$90,957
88	The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa	AL	Public	1831	$20,202	74%	$66,081
89	University of New EnglandBiddeford	ME	Nonprofit	1831	$38,617	62%	$68,670
90	Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown	CT	Nonprofit	1831	$23,014	90%	$86,811
91	Xavier UniversityCincinnati	OH	Nonprofit	1831	$31,905	71%	$69,118
92	Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg	PA	Nonprofit	1832	$33,015	79%	$80,119
93	Wabash CollegeCrawfordsville	IN	Nonprofit	1832	$23,532	73%	$71,578
94	Haverford CollegeHaverford	PA	Nonprofit	1833	$31,075	89%	$76,397
95	Kalamazoo CollegeKalamazoo	MI	Nonprofit	1833	$20,784	74%	$66,766
96	Mercer UniversityMacon	GA	Nonprofit	1833	$24,778	72%	$63,469
97	Oberlin CollegeOberlin	OH	Nonprofit	1833	$41,987	81%	$60,877
98	Stephens CollegeColumbia	MO	Nonprofit	1833	$19,741	57%	$46,625
99	Franklin CollegeFranklin	IN	Nonprofit	1834	$24,343	58%	$61,877
100	Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans	LA	Nonprofit	1834	$40,693	87%	$68,226

Founding year: Wikidata (CC0); other columns: College Scorecard · ties broken alphabetically