The most beautiful college in every state
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- Universities across the US feature diverse architectural styles, from Gothic to Greek Revival.
- Some schools have fascinating histories that inspired their designs, like Florida's Flagler College.
- Others, like Berry College in Georgia, are surrounded by lush natural landscapes.
From botanical gardens to glass-and-marble libraries, college campuses across the US offer more than just a place to study and sleep.
Students travel from around the country — and, sometimes, the world — to attend these storied institutions, some of which date back centuries and have educated presidents, CEOs, and Pulitzer Prize winners.
While picking a school purely based on its looks isn't advised, a campus' architecture and amenities can contribute to its atmosphere and educational opportunities. Some history buffs even incorporate university tours into their itineraries when traveling the US.
We listed the most beautiful college campus in every state based on previously published rankings and official lists such as the National Registry of Historic Places, as well as by identifying historic features, one-of-a-kind architectural components, and access to breathtaking natural beauty.
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Founded in 1830 by Mobile's first catholic bishop, Michael Portier, this southern institution — named one of the South's most beautiful campuses by Southern Living — was one of the first Catholic colleges established in the Southeast.
Several of its buildings have been recognized and made part of the National Register of Historic Places list.
The 381-acre liberal arts college, enveloped by pink azaleas, features a Greek Revival home that doubles as the commencement venue; an expansive green field at the steps of the library; and the St. Joseph Chapel, where rock legend Jimmy Buffett married his first wife, Margie Washichek, in 1969, according to the college.
Oh, and did we mention there's an 18-hole golf course on campus?
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This public institution is spread over 2,250 acres, has five community and rural campuses across the state, and is one of the oldest universities in Alaska.
Its in-house museum, the Museum of the North, was designed in 2005 by award-winning architect Joan Soranno. It was part of Architectural Digest's 2018 "most iconic buildings in America" list and has won several national awards since its opening in 2005.
The museum's design was inspired by Alaska's natural surroundings and meant to evoke "images of alpine ridges, glaciers, breakup on the Yukon River and the aurora," according to the University of Alaska.
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Established in 1857, the University of Arizona has since been home to many famous figures, from Kourtney Kardashian and Kristen Wiig to five-time NBA champion Steve Kerr.
Surrounded by the beautiful Santa Catalina mountains, the 380-acre campus features rows of red-bricked halls, towering palm trees lining its walkways, and a nationally recognized public garden that is home to many desert plants.
Hendrix College
Tucked away in suburban Conway, this liberal arts institution incorporates its natural surroundings into its campus architecture — think redbrick buildings, azalea-lined walkways, and old oak trees spread across the 175-acre campus.
Three of its academic buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Once a 2-acre site in Oakland and now a sprawling 178-acre campus, UC Berkeley's college grounds have undergone several transformations over the years.
In 1863, upon acquiring a bigger space, college administrators worked with Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect of New York City's Central Park, to design a plan for the new campus. Then, by 1890, as enrollment increased, a competition was held to appoint a new architect, where French architect Emile Bénard won first place.
While Bénard presented his formal Beaux-Arts vision for the new campus, he declined to work as the supervising architect, and John Galen Howard — who won fourth place — was instead chosen to oversee the project.
Beyond its architectural feats, the university has produced many noteworthy figures, from Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak and actor Chris Pine to "Lizzie McGuire's" Adam Lamberg.
Glenn J. Asakawa/University of Colorado
The University of Colorado Boulder's campus underwent a transformation between 1918 and 1932 when American architect Charles Klauder — whose other notable works include Cornell University, Penn State University, and Princeton University — was hired to revamp the campus, reported Architectural Digest, which named it one of America's most beautiful college campuses.
Klauder added a touch of Tuscan Vernacular Revival style that came to be associated with the college and was also known as the University of Colorado style. The updated campus grounds featured multi-hued sandstone walls and red roofs.
Several other buildings were built in the Collegiate Gothic style in the past, and some traces of this style can still be seen in old buildings across the campus.
In addition to its design marvels, the university is known for its affiliation with several prominent astronauts, such as Kalpana Chawla, Jim Voss, and Scott Carpenter.
Dan Renzetti/Yale University
Elements of traditional Collegiate Gothic and modernist styles co-exist on this 261-acre campus. Modern structures, including architect Eero Saarinen's Ingalls Rink and the glass Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, stand out against the classical buildings.
Founded in 1701, Yale University is the third oldest in the country.
Since its inception, it has produced numerous prominent figures, including politicians, such as former US presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to actors Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, and Lupita Nyong'o.
University of Delaware.
Lush manicured lawns and a mix of red-brick and Collegiate Gothic-style buildings make up much of the University of Delaware.
Established in 1743, the university is home to 21 NCAA division teams and 36 club sports. It also has a four-floor library — the Morris Library — stretching 6 acres and accommodating over 1,700 students.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are both alums of this university.
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Flagler College's 47-acre campus — recognized by Southern Living as one of the most beautiful campuses in the South — operates out of the former Spanish Renaissance-style Ponce de León Hotel.
Not only do students get to call a National Historic Landmark their classroom, but they are also only a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
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With its Gothic-style buildings across a 27,000-acre campus nestled within forests and fields and surrounded by mountains, it's easy to confuse Berry College for an English manor in Downton Abbey.
It has been recognized as one of the most beautiful college campuses by publications including Travel & Leisure and Southern Living.
Berry College has doubled as a filming site for movies such as "Remember the Titans" and "Sweet Home Alabama."
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Located in the picturesque Mānoa Valley, this 320-acre university offers sweeping views of the volcanic rock and easy access to Waikiki Beach. As of fall 2022, more than 19,000 students were enrolled in the college, which is one of the largest and oldest of the 10 University of Hawaii campuses.
The university also classifies in Division 1 in the NCAA athletics rankings.
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Various architectural styles are on display across the University of Idaho's vast campus, including the Collegiate Gothic style visible at the administration building.
Architect John E. Tourtellotte, who also worked on the Idaho State Capitol, helped design the administration building. In its north wing, the building has a U-shaped three-story, Gothic structure, at the entrance of which President Teddy Roosevelt famously gave a speech.
Other notable spaces include a 45-acre arboretum, which is home to over 2,500 different varieties of plants from around the world.
Matthew Gilson/Northwestern University
Situated by Lake Michigan in Evanston, this 240-acre campus — only a short drive away from Chicago — features Victorian-style halls, a Neo-Gothic chapel, and even an observatory, which per the university, was home to what was once the world's largest telescope.
Meghan Markle, author and screenwriter Gillian Flynn, and "Game of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin are just a few of the famous figures who went to school here.
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The University of Notre Dame is famous for its football team and theology program, per Condé Nast Traveler, which named it one of the prettiest colleges in the US. However, it's also well-known for its gorgeous architecture and lush quads.
Its glittering golden dome, which features gold leaf, stands tall amid other buildings, while the Neo-Gothic Basilica of the Sacred Heart is a visual delight for visitors and students alike.
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A campus lake, a central lawn, and a 110-foot-tall Campanile bell tower are just some of the beautiful design elements at this 2,000-acre campus.
It's also home to the most Instagrammable public garden, which, at 17 acres, includes a conservatory, a butterfly wing, and Elwood, the world's largest concrete gnome, per the university. He stands 15 feet tall.
Kansas State University
A defining feature of K-State's campus architecture is its extensive use of Cottonwood Limestone across several buildings, such as Anderson Hall — which is also on the National Register of Historic Places — and Dickens Hall.
The university also has over 2,000 acres of green space and its own lake.
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Established in 1798, the University of Louisville has three campuses: the Belknap Campus, which is almost 345 acres and is known as the main campus; the Health Science Center; and the Shelby Campus.
Belknap Campus, based in Old Louisville, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The main campus is known for its red-bricked buildings and a cast of Auguste Rodin's famous statue, "The Thinker."
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Tulane University's 110-acre uptown campus, located along St. Charles Avenue, has 89 buildings, each with distinct architectural styles.
Gibson Hall, which was built in the Romanesque Revival style and used limestone for its surface, overlooks the stunning 350-acre Audubon Park.
Jason P. Smith/College of the Atlantic
The College of the Atlantic's main campus stretches 38 acres. The college has two in-house organic farms, as well as research stations on two islands in the Gulf of Maine.
The institute is surrounded by pink granite mountains, spruce forests, and the Atlantic Ocean.
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Situated between the Severn River and downtown Annapolis, this military school has a scenic waterside setting and a variety of Beaux Arts-style buildings spread across its campus.
According to Architectural Digest, the university is also home to the world's largest single dormitory, the Bancroft Hall, which resembles the Palace of Versailles.
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As one of the oldest colleges in the US — it was founded in 1636 — Harvard University has seen several design transformations over the years. It is also home to some historic buildings, such as Massachusetts Hall, which, according to the National Park Service, is one of the oldest surviving Harvard buildings.
Beyond the academics, one of the perks of going to school here is that you get to dine in Annenberg Hall, which looks like Hogwarts' Great Hall, and call several Georgian red-brick buildings your classroom.
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The University of Michigan has many beautiful buildings across its 3,070-acre campus. One that stands out is the law school library, which features an arched doorway and follows a similar aesthetic to Mason Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus.
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Locally known as "The Hill," this 300-acre campus is surrounded by woodlands and prairies.
Twenty of its buildings were designed by Edward Sövik, a well known American architect, author, and professor on campus, including the 1877 Old Main, which is one of the two of the college's buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Situated in the picturesque college town of Oxford, the University of Mississippi is surrounded by towering oak trees, magnolias, and several storied buildings. The most famous — and also the first academic building on campus — the Lyceum, was built in 1848 by architect William Nichols.
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Washington University also held a competition to pick a firm to design its new campus when it moved to slightly bigger grounds within St. Louis in 1900, when construction on its hilltop site first began.
A design project inspired by British universities Oxford and Cambridge bagged the first prize, and the firm behind it, Cope & Stewardson, went on to turn their vision into reality — think soaring towers with classical Gothic arches and lush quads.
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The campus' red-brick clock tower stands tall against the backdrop of Mount Sentinel, which displays a giant letter "M," like the state's version of the Hollywood sign. The building offers just one of the many architectural styles seen across the college campus.
From Academy Award-winning actor J.K. Simmons and women's rights activist Jeannette Rankin to poet James Welch, the University of Montana has been home to several prominent artists before they became famous.
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As reported by Travel & Leisure, which named Creighton University the most beautiful college in Nebraska, elements of old and new design blend harmoniously on this campus, giving the university a distinct character.
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You wouldn't be the first to confuse pictures of wooden cabins on the university's website with those of a luxury hotel chain or a serene forest home. The university's Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences — the said wood cabin — fits in with its natural surroundings while still standing out thanks to its intricate woodwork and masonry.
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Dartmouth is another college where old and new coexist. Within a 5-acre space are two of the institute's oldest buildings, Wentworth and Thornton Halls, built in the 1820s. On the modern front is the Hopkins Center, which was built in 1962 and designed by Wallace Harrison, the same architect who built New York's Lincoln Center and the United Nations building.
Beyond its architectural styles, the college is also well known for its numerous famous alums, including Pulitzer-winning poet Robert Frost, children's author Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss), and historian Annette Gordon-Reed, the first Black writer to win a Pulitzer for history.
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Princeton is another Ivy League university that provides academic excellence alongside stunning architecture.
The classic Collegiate Gothic style is on display in buildings across the campus, with a few modern exceptions such as Spelman Hall by I.M. Pei, Lewis Library by Frank Gehry, and the Carl Icahn Laboratory by Rafael Viñoly, Architectural Digest reported in its list of the most beautiful colleges in the US.
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St. John's College is a dream destination for anyone who loves the mountains. Given its proximity to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the campus has several hiking trails, and nature is always at your doorstep.
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Nestled in a part of nature that feels untouched, with sprawling hills, a whole forest, and a lake on campus, this upstate New York institution is one of the prettiest places in the state.
Its 575-acre campus has over 2,300 trees and 10-mile walkways that are perfect for unwinding after a long day of studying.
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Duke University's architecture holds traces of both Gothic stonework and Georgian styles within its West and East campuses. Its 210-foot-tall Duke Chapel — which is frequently booked for weddings — exudes peak Collegiate Gothic style, standing out among the 254 buildings on campus.
Other highlights on campus include the Duke Forest and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
Former President Richard Nixon and several former and current CEOs, from Apple's Tim Cook to Etsy's Chad Dickerson, are alums.
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One of the largest and oldest universities in the state, the University of North Dakota is spread across 521 acres and offers over 225 accredited courses.
Several buildings on campus feature the Collegiate Gothic style, which features brick exteriors, stonework, and arched entrances.
Kenyon College
This liberal arts institution features buildings with historic appeal: stone structures, outdoor art installations, and wooden beams surrounded by natural forests and lush green walkways.
"The Fault in Our Stars" author John Green, Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson, and "The West Wing" actor Allison Janney all graduated from Kenyon College before embarking on their careers.
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From a pond and open courtyards to brick-lined walkways, Oklahoma State University's 1,489-acre campus has it all.
The architectural details are largely of the Neo-Georgian style, and highlights to visit across campus include the Formal Gardens, the grand staircases, and the Theta Pond.
Nina Johnson/©Lewis & Clark, Portland, Oregon
Originally known as the Albany Collegiate Institute, this private liberal arts institution relocated to Portland in 1938 and four years later rebranded to Lewis & Clark College after its namesake explorers.
The campus, set amid Douglas firs and rolling hills, exudes an old-school rustic charm. Notable historic buildings include the Frank Manor House, now the office of undergraduate admissions, and the Corbett House, designed by Italian-American architect Pietro Belluschi in 1929.
University of Pennsylvania
UPenn incorporates a variety of architectural styles, from Collegiate Gothic to more modernist projects. Several buildings on the 299-acre campus were designed by Cope and Stewardson, a firm famous for its university projects, including Princeton and Washington University in St. Louis.
Here, you're also embedded in nature with plenty of trees peppered across the campus while still having access to the Philly skyline from the university park.
The college has also been home to many future billionaires and artists, including Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, designer Tory Burch, and singer John Legend.
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Built out of the consolidation of seven glorious Gilded Age estates, Salve Regina University's 80-acre campus has many Instagram-worthy sights. The most noteworthy of these is the Ochre Court, which is the second-largest estate in town after the Breakers and serves as the university's admin building.
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The six-story Florentine Bell Tower, Asia Gardens, and numerous fountains throughout campus are just some of the university's highlights.
It also hosts many hiking trails, residences overlooking the lake, and Georgian-style buildings.
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Tucked away in the scenic city of Sioux Falls, and previously named by Travel & Leisure as the most beautiful college in South Dakota, Augustana impresses with its administration building, cropped quads, and towering trees.
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At Vanderbilt, you're enveloped in nature's arms. The college's campus is a designated national arboretum, home to over 200 species of trees and shrubs.
The campus also features many art sculptures and grand red-bricked facades. But the most iconic building on campus is Kirkland Hall, a 19th-century structure that originally held all the classrooms, a chapel, and a library. It was rebuilt in 1906 following a fire and has been undergoing recent renovations to modernize its features.
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Founded in 1911, Southern Methodist University is 5 miles north of downtown Dallas and features grand buildings, manicured lawns, and the Meadows Museum, which, according to Southern Living, houses the largest collection of Spanish art outside Spain.
There's also Dallas Hall, the university's first building, which is now on the National Registry of Historic Places.
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The University of Utah's campus is so huge, spread across 1,535 acres and surrounded by the Wasatch Mountain Range, that students use shuttles to get to and from some parts. The views change according to the season, with lush green spaces in spring and summertime and snow-capped mountains in the winter.
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Picture cozy cottages and manors nestled between the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks — these are the scenes at Middlebury College year-round.
On the architectural front, Battell Hall, built in 1955, and the much-older but perfectly symmetrical Painter Hall add further charm to this campus.
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Designed by founding father Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia largely features buildings in the Neoclassical style.
Jefferson's home, Monticello — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is also part of the campus, as is the Academical Village he designed.
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A series of stunning Collegiate Gothic buildings line the University of Washington's Liberal Arts Quadrangle, with cherry blossoms in the spring and snow-capped mountains in winter — it's no wonder this campus is consistently named among the most beautiful in the country.
Some major talents, from academia and technology to arts and entertainment, have come out of this university, including actor Rainn Wilson, USWNT star Hope Solo, and actor Bruce Lee.
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West Virginia University's 1,892-acre Morgantown campus is home to three halls that are on the National Register of Historic Places. To get a perfect view of all three, visitors can walk by Woodburn Circle on campus.
The university also boasts a great network of alums, such as actor Cheryl Hines, television presenter and comedian Steve Harvey, and Emmy Award-winning actor Conchata Ferrell from "Two and a Half Men."
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The University of Wisconsin-Madison's campus is nestled between two lakes and has an incredibly picturesque setting. On the architectural front, some highlights include Bascom Hall, Music Hall, and Memorial Union.
The university has been home to prominent personalities across industries, including designer Virgil Abloh, former vice president Dick Cheney, and actor Joan Cusack.
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Borrowing from the state's rustic aesthetic, the University of Wyoming exudes an equally tasteful old-school charm.
Highlights include the sandstone Old Main building, one of the first buildings built on this 10-acre campus, and rows of green trees surrounding it.