Fun Fact Friday: The First College Established in America the Free

Founded in 1636, Harvard University holds the title as the oldest higher education institution in the America. Ironic, as it originally went by the name “New College.” The first college in the United States, after we declared our independence from Britan, however; was Transylvania University, founded in 1780.

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Transylvania Seminary, the pioneer institution of higher learning west of the Alleghenies, was established by an act of the Virginia assembly and supported by Governor Thomas Jefferson. Called Transylvania University by 1799, its first sponsor was the Christ Episcopal Church’s rector, the Reverend Moore. The school later became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

Originally situated in a log cabin in Boyle County, Kentucky, the school moved to Lexington in 1789. The first site in Lexington was a single building in what is now the historic Gratz Park. By 1818, a new main building was constructed for students’ classes. Later, in 1829, that building burned, and the school was moved to its present location in the heart of downtown Lexington, Kentucky. 

More than 90 percent of students recommended for medical school and 100 percent of students recommended for law school are accepted.

Alumni includes two Vice Presidents, two Supreme Court Justices, and the “Father of Texas” Stephen F. Austin.

Source: The 25 Oldest Colleges in America, Transylvania University “Quick Facts”