First university in the United States facts for kids
Figuring out which school was the first university in the United States is a bit tricky! Many universities claim this title, and it depends on how you define "university." For example, when the Philippines was a U.S. territory, the University of Santo Tomas, founded in 1611, was considered the oldest university under the American flag.
Today, there's no single rule across the U.S. that clearly defines what makes a "university" different from a "college." States have their own rules, and what people generally think of as a "university" has changed over time.
In the past, schools like Harvard, William and Mary, and Yale were set up like the colleges in England, similar to those at Oxford and Cambridge. Over time, these colleges started adding different professional schools, like law or medicine. When a group of schools came together under one main school, people naturally started calling them "universities." For instance, Harvard now has many different departments, and Yale, Columbia, and Penn are similar. Later in the 1800s, some of these schools, like Yale and Princeton, officially changed their names from "college" to "university."
It's also confusing because many of these schools were founded before the United States even existed as a country! Plus, it can be hard to know how old a school really is if it changed a lot over time. This debate is different from figuring out the oldest public university in the United States, a title claimed by schools like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Georgia.
Who Claims to Be First?
Several universities say they are the first in the United States. Here are some of the main ones:
- Harvard University: Founded in 1636, Harvard says it's the "oldest institution of higher education in the United States." Others have also called Harvard "the first university." For example, the Massachusetts Constitution, written in 1779, mentioned Harvard as "the University."
- University of Pennsylvania: This school believes it was established in 1740 and calls itself "America's first university." They even have a book about it and use the phrase "America's First University" often on their website.
- The College of William and Mary: Their website states that it was "the first college to become a university" in 1779.
- Johns Hopkins University: This university opened in 1876 and claims to be "America's first research university." This means it was the first focused on advanced studies and discoveries.
Why the Claims Are Different
The debate about the "first university" comes down to a few key points:
How Old Is the School?
Harvard University often calls itself "the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States," and most people agree. While Harvard officially started in 1636, it has been operating continuously since 1650 under the same organization. This means it has a clear history going back to the mid-1600s.
The University of Pennsylvania argues it was America's first university, not just a college. They explain that a college usually focuses on one main area, like arts and sciences. A university, however, brings together many different areas of study under one roof. Penn says that when it opened the first medical school in America in 1765, it became America's first true university because it then had more than one main faculty.
William and Mary agrees that Harvard opened first. But they point out that plans for William and Mary were made even earlier, in 1619. When it comes to being the first university, William and Mary claims that in 1781, by combining its law, medicine, and arts departments, it became "America's first true university." They also say they were the "First institution of higher education to have a law school," which made them the first college to become a university in 1779.
When Was It Officially Called a "University"?
University of Pennsylvania
Penn argues that in 1779, the Pennsylvania state government officially called it the "University of the State of Pennsylvania." They say no other American school was named "University" before them.
This new "University of the State of Pennsylvania" was meant to continue the College of Philadelphia, which was started by Benjamin Franklin in 1755. However, in 1779, the government thought the leaders of the College of Philadelphia might have supported the British during the American Revolution. So, they created a new board for the university and took over the old college. Later, in 1789, the college got its old charters back. But just two years later, in 1791, the College of Philadelphia and the University of the State of Pennsylvania officially joined together to form the University of Pennsylvania.
William and Mary
Just seven days after Penn became a university, something important happened at William and Mary on December 4, 1779. Under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson, who was then the governor of Virginia, William and Mary became a university. They stopped offering grammar and divinity (religious studies) and started new programs in anatomy and medicine. They also created the first American teaching positions for law and modern languages. This was also when they introduced the idea of students choosing their own classes, which was a first in the U.S.
Even though it became a university, William and Mary (like Dartmouth College and Boston College) still uses "College" in its official name today.
Some experts have also looked at William and Mary's original 1693 royal charter. The Latin version of the charter used the term studium generale, which was the old way of saying "university" in the Middle Ages. This suggests that William and Mary was given university status right from the start in 1693, even if the English translation of the charter didn't make it as clear.
Harvard
The Constitution of Massachusetts, which was approved in 1780, clearly refers to Harvard as a "University." It says:
"Chapter V. The University at Cambridge... Whereas our wise and pious ancestors, so early as the year one thousand six hundred and thirty six, laid the foundation of Harvard-College, in which University many persons of great eminence have... been initiated in those arts and sciences..."
The word "university" is used five times in this part of the Massachusetts Constitution when talking about Harvard. Also, when George Washington received an honorary degree from Harvard in 1776, the document called Harvard "our University" twice.
Awarding Advanced Degrees
Another way to define a university is if it awards doctoral degrees (the highest academic degrees). If we use this idea, there are a few more schools that could claim to be the oldest.
Harvard University
Harvard has given out honorary "doctorates" since the 1600s. For example, Increase Mather received the first honorary degree in the New World in 1692, a Doctor of Sacred Theology.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania started the first medical school in America in 1765.
Columbia University
King's College, which is now Columbia University, started a medical department in 1767. In 1769, it became the first school in the American Colonies to give out the Doctor of Medicine degree.
Yale University
Yale says it created its "Graduate School of Arts and Sciences" in 1847.
Georgetown University
Georgetown states that it started its graduate school in 1820 and gave out its first advanced degree that same year.
Issuing the Ph.D. Degree
If we specifically look at the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degree, which is a common research doctorate today:
Yale University
Yale's website proudly states that in 1861, it "awarded the first Ph.D. in the United States."
