The Most Beautiful College Campuses in the Northeast

Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College | © Kenneth C. Zirkel

The Northeast is brimming with beautiful colleges. There are many prestigious universities in this region of the country (including all eight Ivy League schools), and several are worth visiting for their stunning grounds. Whether you’re looking to continue your education or simply enjoy the atmosphere, these are the academic institutions that excel at beauty.

1. University of Vermont

University

University of Vermont
© Jared C. Benedict
Set in the vibrant and fun college town of Burlington, Vermont, the University of Vermont, founded in 1791, is one of the oldest universities in the United States. Students here can hike mountains during the spring, see incredible foliage during the fall, and ski or board after class at one of the state’s excellent ski mountains.

2. Endicott College

School, University

Endicott College
© Brittany Kane
Located on the North Shore of Massachusetts in Beverly, the beautiful campus of Endicott College is directly across the street from the ocean. The school has its own private beach, and some students even find that their dorm rooms have an ocean view.

3. Harvard University

Library, University

Harvard University
© Sam Lipoff
With its brick buildings and beautiful library, many people already know what Harvard University looks like from pictures. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, right in Harvard Square, this institution was the first university established in the United States, in 1636, and still attracts the highest achieving students today. Visit the grounds and walk the campus quad to imagine what it is like to be a student attending one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

4. Salve Regina University

University

Salve Regina University
© Riccardo Rossi / Flickr
Salve Regina University, located in Newport, Rhode Island, is a Catholic university that borders Newport’s beautiful Cliff Walk. Set on seven Gilded Age estates with many important historical structures, the college is working to preserve its heritage today. Visitors can walk the Cliff Walk and see the historic campus at the same time.

5. University of New England

School, University

Biddeford Pool
© Byron Howes / Flickr
The University of New England, located in Biddeford, Maine, sits right along the ocean, and students can go and enjoy the beach after a long day of classes. The college also has plenty of open green spaces and fields for sports and is predominantly known for its sciences and health sciences, complete with a medical school for osteopathic medicine.

6. Union College

Building, School, University

Union College
© Jirka Matousek / Flickr
Located in upstate New York in Schenectady, Union College is known as the “Mother of Fraternities” since three of the earliest fraternities were established there. The college is now coed and offers a liberal arts curriculum, with many engineering programs. The Nott Memorial rotunda building on its campus is a National Historic Landmark, and many of the other buildings have beautiful stone architecture.

7. Mount Holyoke College

University, School, Library

Mount Holyoke College
© Kenneth C. Zirkel
Mount Holyoke College, located in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is a liberal arts college for women, founded in 1837. The campus has beautiful stone architecture, and its buildings were designed between 1896 and 1960. The campus has an 18-hole golf course and once hosted the U.S. Women’s Open. The campus also has a botanic garden, two lakes, waterfalls, tables, tennis courts, an art museum, and an independent bookstore. Mount Holyoke’s campus is close to the cities of Amherst and Northampton as well as the Mount Holyoke Range State Park. Take a tour of this beautiful campus and stroll back into time to picture Mary Lyons, a chemist, founding this higher institution of learning for women during a time when few were thinking about women’s education.

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