1636 - 1789

•Colonial Era

•Enrollment in higher education in 1700 included 150 students. This number rose to 1,000 by the end of the Colonial Era.

•The nine colleges were organized and took ideas from Europe:

1636 Harvard College

1693 College of William and Mary

1701 Yale College

1740 College of Philadelphia

1746 College of New Jersey

1754 King’s College

1765 College of Rhode Island

1766 Queen’s College

1769 Dartmouth College

Test your knowledge! Although you might recognize some of these nine colonial colleges, many of their original names have changed. Click on the external link next to the name to be redirected to that college's history page.

References: Cohen, A. M., & Kisker, C. B. (2010). The shaping of american higher education :Emergence and growth of the contemporary system (2nd ed.). San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.