The 40 Most Beautiful College Campuses in the U.S.
September 19, 2023
Let鈥檚 begin by making clear that the 国产第一福利影院草草 team would never recommend picking a college based solely on its physical beauty. There are dozens of more critical factors one should first consider such as academic strength, overall 鈥渇it鈥, undergraduate research opportunities, career services, and internship connections鈥攋ust to name a handful. The prettiest college campuses are not necessarily ones that offer these genuinely vital features.
That said, like a great work of art, a beautiful campus has the power to lift one鈥檚 spirits and bring you daily pleasure and contentment. Since you will be spending four years of life at your undergraduate institution, it would be foolish to pretend that the aesthetics of a campus are wholly unimportant. Therefore, based on our experience of touring hundreds of college campuses across the United States, we offer a list of the most beautiful, by region.
Below you will find ten of the most beautiful campuses in each region of the United States (West, Northeast, South, and Midwest). Rather than showing you a single still-frame shot of campus (which is overly-reductive and can often be misleading), we鈥檝e linked to each school鈥檚 virtual tour. Simply click on the name of any college listed below to instantly embark on a 360 degree campus tour.
Most Beautiful College Campuses in the Western U.S.
1)
- Location: Stanford, CA
- Total size: 8,180 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 93%
- Architectural style: Richardsonian Romanesque and Mission Revival
2)
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Total size: 229 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 30%
- Architectural style: Romanesque Revival
3)
- Location: San Diego, CA
- Total size: 560 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 23%
- Architectural style: Mission Revival
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
4)
- Location: San Diego, CA
- Total size: 180 acres
- Percent who live on campus (non-pandemic): 44%
- Architectural style: Spanish Renaissance
5)
- Location: Malibu, CA
- Total size: 835 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 60%
- Architectural style: Streamline Moderne
6)
- Location: Claremont, CA
- Total size: 30 acres
- Percent who live on campus (non-pandemic): 94%
- Architectural style: Mediterranean
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
7)
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Total size: 634 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 29%
- Architectural style: Collegiate Gothic
8)
- Location: Portland, OR
- Total size: 134 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 55%
- Architectural style: Mixed, focus on sustainability
9)
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Total size: 142 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 47%
- Architectural style: Modern
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
10)
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Total size: 419 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 48%
- Architectural style: Romanesque and Modern
Prettiest College Campuses in the Northeast
1)
- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Total size: 500 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 96%
- Architectural style: Collegiate Gothic’
2)
- Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
- Total size: 269 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 85%
- Architectural style: Georgian
3)
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Total size: 2,300 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 52%
- Architectural style: Romanesque Revival
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
4)
- Location: Hamilton, NY
- Total size: 575 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 92%
- Architectural style: Richardsonian Romanesque
5)
- Location: Swarthmore, PA
- Total size: 425 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 95%
- Architectural style: Collegiate Gothic and Modern
6)
- Location: Bryn Mawr, PA
- Total size: 135 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 92%
- Architectural style: Collegiate Gothic
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
7)
- Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
- Total size: 1,000 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 97%
- Architectural style: Various, including Modernist and Collegiate Gothic
8)
- Location: South Hadley, MA
- Total size: 800 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 96%
- Architectural style: Gothic Revival and others
9)
- Location: Wellesley, MA
- Total size: 500 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 97%
- Architectural style: Collegiate Gothic
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
10)
- Location: New Haven, CT
- Total size: 373 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 84%
- Architectural style: Gothic and others
Most Beautiful College Campuses in the South
1)
- Location: Durham, NC
- Total size: 8,600 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 81%
- Architectural style: Collegiate Gothic
2)
- Location: Williamsburg, VA
- Total size: 1,200 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 70%
- Architectural style: Georgian
3)
- Location: Houston, TX
- Total size: 300 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 70%
- Architectural style: Mediterranean Revival
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
4)
- Location: Sewanee, Tennessee
- Total size: 13,000 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 88%
- Architectural style: Neo-Gothic
5)
- Location: Charlottesville, VA
- Total size: 1,682 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 39%
- Architectural style: Neo-Classical
6)
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Total size: 750 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 96%
- Architectural style: Georgian
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
7)
- Location: Nashville, TN
- Total size: 333 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 85%
- Architectural style: Romantic and Victorian and others
8)
- Location: Mount Berry, GA
- Total size: 27,000 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 88%
- Architectural style: Gothic
9)
- Location: Elon, North Carolina
- Total size: 656 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 64%
- Architectural style: Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
10)
- Location: Richmond, VA
- Total size: 350 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 91%
- Architectural style: Gothic
Prettiest College Campuses in the Midwest
1)
- Location: Notre Dame, IN
- Total size: 1,265 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 78%
- Architectural style: French, Victorian, and Gothic
2)
- Location: Gambier, OH
- Total size: 1,000 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 99%
- Architectural style: Gothic, Romanesque and Neo-Classical
3)
- Location: Madison, WI
- Total size: 936 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 26%
- Architectural style: Beaux-Arts
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
4)
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Total size: 217 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 52%
- Architectural style: Gothic
5)
- Location: Oxford, OH
- Total size: 2,100 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 31%
- Architectural style: Various
6)
- Location: St. Louis, MO
- Total size: 169 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 74%
- Architectural style: Collegiate Gothic
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
7)
- Location: Bloomington, IN
- Total size: 1,944 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 33%
- Architectural style: Gothic, Romanesque, and others
8)
- Location: Evanston, IL
- Total size: 231 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 60%
- Architectural style: Collegiate Gothic and Modern
9)
- Location: Northfield, MN
- Total size: 300 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 95%
- Architectural style: Scandinavian Modern
Most Beautiful College Campuses (Continued)
10)
- Location: Columbia, MO
- Total size: 1,262 acres
- Percent of undergrads live on campus (non-pandemic): 30%
- Architectural style: Neo-Classic and Neo-Gothic
To learn more about the academic offerings and admissions standards of the schools on our list of prettiest college campuses, visit the 国产第一福利影院草草 Dataverse.
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