There's a lot of learning to be done not only in the classrooms of college campuses, but also outside. Universities and academic institutions from across the world play host to some of the most notable architectural masterpieces and astonishing landscapes.
There are very few places where traditional Palladian architecture lives next to modernist theaters or lush woodlands surround Gothic-style halls as seamlessly as college campuses. Each academic building and green space plays an integral role in educating its students and visitors on the history of the college and its region. More importantly, the hallowed grounds help to shape each student into who they are as individuals. While there are many factors that go into selecting the right college, the campus's ability to inspire creativity and provide refuge should be taken into consideration.
We've searched throughout the world to discover the most beautiful college campuses with sprawling grounds that are just as highly regarded as their programs. From the base of Devil's Peak in South Africa to the rolling hills of Georgia, each of these beautiful college campuses pays homage to its origins while making way for an even brighter future.
University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England
Established in 1209, the University of Cambridge is regarded as one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world. Beyond its academic excellence, the campus is also known for its botanical gardens and architectural gems found on almost every corner. King's College, in particular, is often named one of the finest examples of late English Gothic architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The River Cam also runs right through the city university, adding to the campus' picturesque views.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Masshucettes
Massachusetts Institute of Technology exhibits a diversity of architectural styles not seen on any other campus in the world. There's a neo-futuristic auditorium from Eero Saarinen, a Frank Gehry-designed modernist complex, and neoclassical buildings designed by William Welles Bosworth—just to name a few.
National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico
Works from some of Mexico's most renowned architects and artists can all be found in one place—the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The crown jewel of the largest university in Latin America is the central library designed by Juan O'Gorman which is covered in murals depicting the university's history. In 2007, the National Autonomous University of Mexico was named a UNESCO heritage site as it stands as a symbol of modernity in Mexico.
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Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Swarthmore College's campus boasts an eclectic collection of modern and Collegiate Gothic-style architecture, but there's one breathtaking element that makes the college stand out: a 425-acre arboretum filled with magnolia trees, hiking trails, and an outdoor theater. Just outside Philadelphia, the college's green oasis draws the attention of students, locals, and horticulturists from across the world. From the 200 varieties of roses making up the Dean Bond Rose Garden outside Parish Hall to the towering trees of Crum Woods, you're greeted with a bountiful display around every turn and corner.
University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa
The University of Cape Town is not short on impeccable views with the ivy-covered buildings and dramatic mountains of Devil's Peak in the background. At the center of campus, Sarah Baartman Hall stands as a sneak peek of the offerings found on the university's campus.
Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida
Nestled in the oldest city in the United States, Flagler College stands an a delightful example of the architectural vernacular associated with St. Augustine, Florida. The liberal arts school is housed in the former Ponce de León Hotel, which was built 1888 as a luxury resort under the direction of businessman Henry Flagler. Much of his original vision remains—including the ballroom, which now serves as a palatial dining hall with Tiffany stained glass windows.
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Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea
Over its three campuses across Seoul, Kyung Hee University's classical architecture gives another layer of interest to the ever-evolving city. Fragrant cherry blossom trees guide incoming students toward the regal admissions hall with its Corinthian-style columns and a bubbling fountain. The main campus also houses the Natural History Museum and Hye-Jung Museum.
Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia
Walking the campus of this quaint liberal arts college in rural Mount Berry, Georgia feels like you're visiting the set of a fairy tale movie. There's no short of natural splendor at Berry College, thanks to the more than 27,000 acres of forests, meadows, and lakes surrounding the campus. English Gothic-style academic buildings and serene reflecting pools add to the fantastical quality.
University of Coimbra in Coimbra, Portugal
Established in 1290 by King D. Dinis, the "General Study" was first established in Lisbon as a university for the arts, law, common law, and medicine. It moved to Coimbra in 1308, but it did not settle into its permanent residence at a palace overlooking the Mondego River until 1537. Today, the UNESCO World Heritage site's sun-bleached walls, botanical gardens, and Joanina Library give insight into the country's academic history.
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Stanford University in Stanford, California
Stanford University embodies the quintessential American campus with its sprawling green lawns, California Mission-style. architecture, and tree-lined walkways. A list of heavy-hitting designers and architects helped mold the campus, including Frederick Law Olmsted who cultivated the prestigious school's flowerbeds and green spaces.
University of São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil
Brazil's most prestigious university features striking centuries-old architecture and tree-lined public squares—all with the sandy beach and mountains of São Paulo as its backdrop. In addition to its award-winning research institutions, the University of São Paulo houses a number of museums and art galleries such as the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan
As one of Japan's most celebrated art schools, it's no surprise the Tama Art University would display jaw-dropping architecture and works of art. Architect Toyo Ito famously designed the school's library so that the vaulted concrete arches mimic the rolling hills of the campus.
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Sorbonne University in Paris, France
It's hard not to fall for Sorbonne University's beauty as the memorizing avenues and monuments of Paris's Latin Quarter are its playground. The research institute was established by Robert de Sorbon as part of the University of Paris in 1257. In 2018, the college officially merged with Pierre and Marie Curie University, establishing its own prestigious scientific institutions.
Tsinghua University in Beijing, China
Founded in 1925, the Tsinghua University currently sits on the former site of the Qing Dynasty's royal gardens. Because of this, the campus offers an ideal mix of traditional Chinese architecture, peaceful reflecting ponds, and cutting-edge academic labs.
Oxford University in Oxford, England
A walk through the grounds of Oxford University, the oldest university in the English-speaking world, feels like a visual history lesson on architecture and art. Since it's considered a "city university," its facilities are spread all across the town's center, resulting in a medley of building styles from Saxon to Postmodernist. One of Oxford's most recognized and noted buildings includes Radcliffe Camera, a Palladian library dedicated to scientific publications.
Sarah DiMarco
Sarah DiMarco is the Assistant Editor at VERANDA, covering all things art, design, and travel, and she also manages social media for the brand.
FAQs
Which University has the most beautiful campus in the world? ›
University of Cambridge, UK
Almost 24,000 students from 141 countries study at this prestigious and world-class institution. The main campus of the university is in the centre of Cambridge city with many older buildings overlooking the River Cam.
What is the prettiest college campus in America? There are many beautiful college campuses in America, but the most pretty is Stanford University. The grounds are lovely, and the architecture is stunning. The ivy-covered buildings and red-roofed Spanish tile roofs are unique and eye-catching.
What is the #1 campus in America? ›Harvard University is a private institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. This Ivy League school is the oldest higher education institution in the country and has the largest endowment of any school in the world.
What is the most beautiful universities in the world? ›- Peking University, China. University. ...
- Xiamen University, China. University. ...
- University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. University, Bridge. ...
- University of Oxford, United Kingdom. ...
- Coimbra University, Portugal. ...
- Stanford University, USA. ...
- Trinity College, Ireland. ...
- University of Bologna, Italy.
- Arizona State University, Main Campus. 86.7.
- Miami University, Oxford. 86.1.
- University of Mississippi Main Campus. 85.6.
- Coastal Carolina University. 85.6.
- University of California, Santa Barbara. 85.5.
- Rollins College. 85.4.
- University of Southern California. 85.0.
- University of Arizona. 84.6.
Texas Christian University is the happiest university in the U.S. — three in four (76.47%) faces tagged there on Instagram are happy, according to AI analysis.
What is the #1 safest campus in the US? ›In a new ranking of the safest college campuses in America, a Midwest school was dubbed top of its class. According to Niche, a website that offers reviews of schools and colleges across the country, the safest college campus in the U.S. is Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
What is the 1 college town in America? ›America's best college town is Stanford, Calif., followed by Williamsburg, Va. and Pasadena, Calif.
What is the oldest college campus in the world? ›The University of Bologna was founded by Italian jurist, Irnerius, in 1088. Located in Bologna, Italy, this institution holds the record for being the world's oldest university in terms of not having experienced even a brief suspension of its operations since its establishment.
What is the smallest campus in the US? ›Deep Springs College (known simply as Deep Springs or DS) is a private, selective two-year college in Deep Springs, California.
What is the smallest college campus in the US? ›
The smallest university in the United States is Deep Springs College, located in Deep Springs, California. Deep Springs College is an all-male liberal arts college that is unique in its structure and mission.
What is the prettiest Ivy League campus? ›The Ivy League with the best campus is Princeton. It's reputed as having the prettiest campus. But beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Some people see Columbia as the most beautiful because of its gothic and classical buildings, while some will pick Cornell because of its breath-taking landscape.
Which college has the biggest campus in the world? ›With 3.5 million students matriculated, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) from India is the largest university in the world.
What is the blackest university in America? ›#1: Xavier University of Louisiana
No surprises here. Xavier University of Louisiana, located in New Orleans, is the nation's first Black Catholic university, founded in 1925 and recognized since 1965 as an HBCU, a federal designation noting a school's founding purpose to educate African Americans.
Leadville, Colorado (elev.
Sitting at more than 10,000 ft. above sea level, Colorado Mountain College isn't just the highest school on our list — it has the highest campus in the country. It is also a snow bunny's paradise.
| Rank | College | Estimated IQ from SAT Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caltech | 145.4 |
| 2 | MIT | 143.9 |
| 3 | Olin College | 143.4 |
| 4 | Rice | 143.4 |
| School | Students Accepted | First Year Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Seton Hall University | 8602 | 1139 |
| Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–Newark | 7430 | 914 |
| Drexel University | 21729 | 2346 |
| University of Bridgeport | 4510 | 440 |
- St. ...
- Suffolk University. ...
- Truman State University. ...
- United States Military Academy. ...
- United States Naval Academy. ...
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville. ...
- University of Texas at Dallas. ...
- Xavier University of New Orleans.
1. Finland: For the sixth year in a row, Finland is the world's happiest country, according to the World Happiness Report. Aleksanterinkatu (Aleksi Street) in Helsinki is pictured.
Which university has the best social life? ›The University of Sheffield
Offering over 350 societies for students to join, the Uni of Sheffield has finally won the Clubs and Societies award, after ranking second in 2021.
What college are students most happy? ›
Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
They've sat atop the list on several occasions! Students report their quality of life as a significant contributor to their happiness. Many Vanderbilt students do not have to worry about the stress that accompanies paying for four years of tuition at an elite university.
Temple University may have been founded by a Baptist minister in 1884, but today it's the most sexually active campus.
Which is safest place to study on USA? ›1. Boston. With Boston, the first things that come to mind are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University — names you can easily find at the top of the QS World University Rankings 2023. It's little wonder this city is known to house the world's most outstanding students and scholars.
What is the oldest campus in the United States? ›1. Harvard University. Located in Massachusetts, Harvard University was originally called New College.
What is the biggest college in the U.S. by land? ›Berry College, tucked into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, covers more than 27,000 acres — nearly twice the land area of Manhattan. Not surprisingly, Berry College boasts not only the largest contiguous college campus in the U.S., but the largest one in the world.
What city in America has the most colleges? ›What city has the most universities and most colleges per capita? Hands down, it's LA. You can find approximately 230 colleges and universities in the greater Los Angeles area.
Which city has most students in USA? ›New York
The city holds the largest number of internationally ranking universities out of all the best American student cities on this list! These include big leaguers like Columbia University and New York University.
Ranking 5th in the QS World University Rankings 2021, the University of Oxford is the oldest university in England and the second oldest university in the world in constant operation. According to evidence, the university was operational from as early as 1096.
What is the most old college? ›1. University of Bologna. The 'Nourishing Mother of the Studies' according to its Latin motto, the University of Bologna was founded in 1088 and, having never been out of operation, holds the title of the oldest university in the world.
What is the oldest dorm on campus? ›Massachusetts Hall has the distinction, however, of being the oldest dormitory in the country, and was home to many of the Founding Fathers during their college years, including John and Samuel Adams.
What is the biggest campus size in the US? ›
Berry College has the largest college campus in the United States by acreage. This private liberal arts college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and its campus has been featured in movies such as Remember the Titans.
What is the most remote university in the world? ›The spectacularly remote University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) is positioned at 78°N latitude in the Arctic Sea, midway between Norway and the North Pole. It's the world's most northerly university. UNIS is based in Longyearbyen, a Norwegian community of 2,000 residents in the de-militarized Svalbard archipelago.
What is the largest single campus high school in America? ›| Evanston Township High School | |
|---|---|
| Campus size | 65 acres (260,000 m2) |
| Color(s) | Orange (PMS 1665) Blue (PMS 289) |
| Slogan | "It's a great day to be a Wildkit!" |
| Fight song | ETHS Cheer Song |
As of fall 2019, the University of Central Florida had the largest on-campus population in the United States with 61,456 undergraduates.
What college has the lowest acceptance rate? ›Among the institutions with the lowest acceptance rate, colleges included, UCLA is the only public university with the lowest acceptance rate while the college with the lowest acceptance rate is Dartmouth College. The rest of the U.S. higher educational institutions with low acceptance rates are privately-owned.
What is the hardest degree to get? ›- Chartered Accountancy.
- Astrophysics.
- Quantum Mechanics.
- Law.
- Aerospace/ Aeronautical Studies, Engineering.
- Biomedical Studies, Neurosciences, Biochemistry.
- Nursing.
- Dentistry, Medicine.
The GPA requirements for Harvard University are between 3.9 to 4.1. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of their class in order to get into Harvard University.
What GPA do you need to get into Harvard? ›The average high school GPA of admitted students at Harvard is around 4.2. 73% of students had a GPA of at least 4.0, indicating that admitted students typically mostly earned A grades in high school. If you're studying the IB, this translates to scoring mostly 7s and achieving a minimum score of at least 42.
What is the easiest ivy to get into? ›Cornell is considered the "easiest" Ivy League to get into because it has the highest Ivy League acceptance rate.
Which Ivy is the happiest? ›Brown is ranked by the Princeton Review as the 10th happiest campus in the country and the happiest school in the Ivy League, and has a general reputation for being the “Happy Ivy.” But why does Brown have this reputation?
What is the most expensive college campus in the world? ›
| College | Country | The average fee for the year (2021-22) |
|---|---|---|
| University Of Cambridge | UK | $40,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | USA | $65,500 |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA | $78,000 |
| Duke University, US | USA | $80,000 |
| Ten largest public university campuses by enrollment during the 2021–22 academic year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ranking | University | Enrollments |
| 1 | Texas A&M University | 73,285 |
| 2 | University of Central Florida | 70,386 |
| 3 | Ohio State University | 67,772 |
1. Harvey Mudd College. Harvey Mudd College is considered the most costly university in the USA and the most expensive university in the world.
What is the best dorm in the nation? ›But where can you find the best college dorms in America? The Princeton Review recently released its 2022 ranking of the best college dorms, based on student ratings of their dorms and residence halls. Taking the top spot is Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
What is the biggest campus in the US? ›Clemson University – Clemson, South Carolina
The campus crime rate makes them, statistically, the safest campus in the US. As a city, Clemson's crime rate is 1.02 per thousand residents.
Bancroft Hall, named after former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and famous historian/author George Bancroft, is home for the entire brigade of 4,000+ midshipmen, and contains some 1,700 rooms, 4.8 miles of corridors, and 33 acres of floor space.
Which Ivy League dorms are the best? ›Columbia University
The Ivy League schools, as would be expected, have excellent dorm life options. Columbia, an Ivy League school with an outstanding history and reputation, carries inclusion and diversity from the classroom to the larger Columbia community.
| Ten largest public university campuses by enrollment during the 2021–22 academic year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ranking | University | Enrollments |
| 1 | Texas A&M University | 73,285 |
| 2 | University of Central Florida | 70,386 |
| 3 | Ohio State University | 67,772 |
Topping the charts as the snowiest university in the U.S., located in Houghton, Mich., along Portage Lake, Michigan Technological University receives almost 200 inches of snow every year.
What college has the biggest landscape in the United States? ›
Berry College, Georgia
This rural college in Mount Berry, Georgia holds a lofty record: It's the world's largest contiguous college campus, with more than 27,000 acres of fields, lakes, forests, and mountains.
Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas, part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex has been ranked the number 1 safest city to live in the U.S. It boasts the fourth-lowest violent crime rate and the sixth-lowest property crime rate.
| University name | Number of violent crimes on campus reported between 2019-2021* |
|---|---|
| 1. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | 1,468 |
| 2. Ohio State University | 583 |
| 3. UC Berkeley | 242 |
| 4. Xavier University | 240 |