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Universities and colleges in the Americas

519 articles

Ursinus College

Ursinus College is a private, non-sectarian liberal arts college in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, founded in 1869 and coeducational since 1880, with about 1,500 undergraduates on a 170-acre suburban Philadelphia campus.

Utah State University

Utah State University (USU), founded 1888 as the Agricultural College of Utah, is Utah's land-grant and space-grant R1 public research university in Logan, home of the Space Dynamics Laboratory DoD UARC and the Utah Water Research Laboratory.

Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah, founded in 1941 as Central Utah Vocational School. Utah's largest public university with 48,669 fall 2025 students, it combines university and community college missions.

Valdosta State University

Valdosta State University (VSU), public regional university in Valdosta, Georgia, University System of Georgia; founded 1906 as South Georgia State Normal College, opened 1913; women's college until 1950; university since 1993; over 10,500 students; NCAA Division II Blazers.

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University is a private Lutheran university in Valparaiso, Indiana, founded in 1859, serving about 2,600 students; its law school closed in 2020.

Vancouver Island University

Vancouver Island University (VIU), formerly Malaspina College and Malaspina University-College, is a public teaching university in Nanaimo, British Columbia, founded in 1936, with campuses in Duncan and Powell River and about 12,000 students.

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University, founded 1873 in Nashville, Tennessee by a Cornelius Vanderbilt gift, is a private R1 research university with 12 schools, 340-acre arboretum campus, SEC Commodores athletics, and chancellor Daniel Diermeier.

Vassar College

Vassar College, founded by Matthew Vassar in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1861, is a coeducational liberal arts college that was a pioneering women's college and the first in the nation to admit men, in 1969.

Victoria University, Toronto

Victoria University is a federated university of the University of Toronto, founded 1836 in Cobourg by royal charter, federated 1890, comprising Victoria College (4,400 undergraduates) and Emmanuel College (250 graduate theology students).

Villanova University

Villanova University is a private Augustinian Catholic university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, founded in 1842 and known for its basketball titles and alumnus Pope Leo XIV.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia, formed in 1968 by merging the Medical College of Virginia and Richmond Professional Institute. It enrolls about 29,288 students, holds Carnegie R1 and Community Engagement classifications, spent $524 million on research in FY2024, and runs VCU Health.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech, formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is a public land-grant university in Blacksburg, Virginia, founded in 1872 and the state's largest undergraduate university.

Wagner College

Wagner College: private liberal arts college on Grymes Hill, Staten Island, New York; founded 1883 in Rochester, moved 1918; known for the Wagner Plan practical liberal arts curriculum, NCAA Division I Seahawks, and 2026 acquisition of the St. John's University Staten Island campus.

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, founded in 1834 as Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute, moved from the town of Wake Forest in 1956, and named a university in 1967; motto Pro Humanitate, Demon Deacons, 9,633 students.

Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, formed in 1865 by merging Washington College and Jefferson College; NCAA Division III Presidents, MSCHE-accredited, about 1,200 undergraduates.

Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University (W&L), founded 1749 as Augusta Academy, is the ninth-oldest US college, a private liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia, with a School of Law, need-blind full-need aid, a $2.19B endowment, and about 2,281 students in 2025-26.

Washington State University

Washington State University (WSU), also known as Wazzu, is a public land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, it serves over 25,000 students across five campuses and an online Global Campus.

Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), founded 1853 as Eliot Seminary, is a private R1 research university in St. Louis, Missouri, with 15,952 Fall 2025 students, nine schools, 26 Nobel Laureates, and six campuses.

Wayne State University

Wayne State University, formerly Wayne University, is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It grew from the Detroit Medical College, founded in 1868, and offers more than 375 academic programs.

Webb Institute

Webb Institute is a private Glen Cove, New York college founded in 1889 by William H. Webb, offering only a dual BS in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering with full-tuition scholarships for US students and required winter internships.

Weber State University

Weber State University (WSU), public comprehensive university in Ogden, Utah, founded 1889 as Weber Stake Academy; university since 1991; 33,293 students (fall 2025), 250+ programs, largest U.S. four-year concurrent-enrollment program.

Webster University

Webster University, founded 1915 by the Sisters of Loretto in Webster Groves, St. Louis, is an independent nonprofit university with 13,000+ students, HLC accreditation since 1925, international campuses, and a recent financial turnaround.

Wellesley College

Wellesley College, also known historically as Wellesley Female Seminary, is a private liberal arts college for women in Wellesley, Massachusetts, founded in 1870 and enrolling roughly 2,400 undergraduates.

Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University, founded 1831 in Middletown, Connecticut, by Methodist leaders and named for John Wesley, is a private liberal arts university, coeducational since 1970 (earlier 1872–1912), independent of the Methodist church since 1937, test-optional since 2014, and led by President Michael Roth.

West Chester University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania, a public PASSHE university founded in 1871 as a normal school, is Pennsylvania's largest state-owned university with over 17,000 students, R2 research status, and NCAA Division II athletics.

West Virginia University

West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant university founded in 1867 in Morgantown, West Virginia, renamed from the Agricultural College of West Virginia in 1868. Distinguished by its R1 research classification, its multi-campus system (WVU Tech, Potomac State, Health Sciences divisions), and its 2023 budget crisis that cut 28 majors and 143 faculty positions.

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public comprehensive university in Cullowhee, North Carolina, founded in 1889 and the UNC system's westernmost campus, with over 12,000 students, NC Promise tuition of $500 per semester in-state, and six colleges.

Western Illinois University

Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb and Moline, Illinois, founded in 1899 as a normal school. Known for Higher Learning Commission accreditation since 1913, Carnegie Opportunity and Research designations, NCAA Division I Leathernecks athletics, and two colleges since 2026.

Western Kentucky University

Western Kentucky University (WKU), a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky founded in 1906 as a normal school, renamed Western Kentucky University in 1966; tenth president Timothy C. Caboni since 2017, five colleges, regional campuses, record retention.

Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University (WMU), public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, founded 1903 as Western State Normal School, state's fourth public university since 1957. Carnegie R2, 17,331 students, MAC athletics, $550M Empowering Futures Gift.