You have probably heard about it, but what exactly is this “Ivy League” stuff all about? What institutions are the so-called Ivy League schools? If you have been plagued by this enigma, you are in the right place. This list of the Ivy League schools will help you understand better about these prestigious universities.
Why Do They Call It Ivy League?
The eight premier research colleges that make up the Ivy League conference are referred to as the “Ivy League.” These eight institutions are renowned for their outstanding academic programs and stringent admittance standards.
When Stanley Woodward wrote in the New York tribune in 1933, “A proportion of our eastern ivy colleges are meeting little fellows another Saturday before plunging into the strife and the turmoil,” the term “ivy” was probably first used to refer to the schools.
Due to the custom of “planting the ivy,” Woodward most likely referred to the future Ivy League institutions as “ivy colleges.” In the 1800s, it was customary for the classes to plant ivy all around the school.
These colleges shared a common traditional among themselves. This includes other universities that are now not regarded as “Ivy League schools.”
List of the Ivy League Schools
Currently, there are eight Ivy League schools. They are all consistently ranked among the top 50 schools in the nation and offer their students excellent programs, resources, and internships. Those institutions are:
1. Princeton University
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Founded: 1746
Tuition: $57,410 per year (2022)
Fun facts:
- Princeton is where the term “campus,” which is Latin for “field,” first appeared to refer to a college’s grounds.
- Albert Einstein, a Nobel Prize–winning physicist and visiting lecturer at Princeton, went to the first Shabbat event that Princeton Hillel hosted in 1947.
- The third-largest university chapel in the world is the chapel at Princeton University.
2. Yale University
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Founded: 1701
Tuition: $62,500 per year (2022)
Fun facts:
- Professors who earned their doctorates from Yale teach about 30% of the undergraduate courses.
- With 69 winners, Yale has produced more Nobel laureates than any other university in history.
- Forty-four US presidents attended or received degrees from Yale (not to mention 16 U.S. Supreme Court justices and several foreign heads of state).
3. Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Founded: 1636
Tuition: $52,659 per year (2022)
Fun facts:
- In 1638, the school opened the first printing press in British North America.
- Although it could be expected of the nation’s oldest university, Harvard’s library collection is the nation’s oldest.
- The Statue of Three Lies, which is located in Harvard Yard, is the third-most well-known and frequently photographed statue in the country.
4. The University of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Founded: 1740
Tuition: $56,212 per year (2022)
Fun facts:
- The University of Pennsylvania was the first college in America to be established on wholly secular principles when it was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740.
- The oldest and biggest amateur track meet in the country, The Penn Relays, is held annually here.
- This university was attended by Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Noam Chomsky, and Ezra Pound.
5. Brown University
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Founded: 1764
Tuition: $62,680 per year (2022)
Fun facts:
- After Nicholas Brown gave the school $5,000 in 1804 and the school’s name was changed from “The College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” Brown University was established.
- Stephen Hopkins, a founding member of the Declaration of Independence, served as the university’s first chancellor.
- This institution was the first in the Ivy League to accept students of all religious backgrounds.
6. Dartmouth University
Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
Founded: 1769
Tuition: $76,362 per year (2022)
Fun facts:
- A charter granted in the name of King George III served as the basis for the founding of Dartmouth University.
- The university participated in the V-12 Navy College Training Program, one of 131 universities that did so during World War II.
- The Class of 1925 at Dartmouth included Dr. Seuss.
7. Columbia University
Location: New York City, New York
Founded: 1754
Tuition: $62,570 per year (2022)
Fun facts:
- Columbia University is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States.
- The Year of Water, a multidisciplinary exploration of water in all of its social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental intricacies, was inaugurated by Columbia in the fall of 2019.
- This university’s alumni include Amelia Earhart, Warren Buffett, and former president Barack Obama.
8. Cornell University
Location: Ithaca, New York
Founded: 1865
Tuition: $62,456 per year (2022)
Fun facts:
- Cornell University was the first American university to open a medical school outside the country.
- There are 43 Nobel laureates who are alumni or faculty at Cornell.
- The first professorships in American literature, musicology, and history were endowed by this university.
Is Getting into An Ivy A Big Deal?
The era in which Ivy League schools were only recognized for their sporting leagues has long since passed. The term “Ivy League” now refers to universities with a reputation for academic brilliance, a rigorous admissions procedure, and great job prospects for students.
Additionally, these universities have some of the most advanced facilities in the world, faculty members who are experts in their specialties, and renowned alumni. There is no questioning the validity of those enviable reputations.
The following information on the Ivy League illustrates why it is so important in the realm of post-secondary education:
1. Powerful Networking Opportunities
The Ivy League has alumni going all the way back to the 1700s. The strength of the alumni network is one of the Ivy League’s greatest advantages. All graduates from a specific university make up the alumni network, which often goes far beyond simple college acquaintances.
Future work chances are frequently generated by alumni contacts. Attending an Ivy can give you the tools and connections you need to gain entry into prestigious businesses and government organizations.
2. Higher Starting Salaries
A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education revealed that graduates with a bachelor’s degree had an average income of $54,700 and those with a master’s degree or higher had an income of $65,000 per annum.
Although having a college degree increases your salary, statistically, attending a university in the Ivy League can improve it even more. If you attend an Ivy League, you have the potential to secure an above-average salary. Average income of a Penn University graduate, for instance, is around $85,500 per annum.
3. Head Start on A Career Path
Last but not least, a degree from an Ivy League school might help you stand out in highly competitive industries like finance, law, and business consulting. Top international corporations frequently employ directly from the source since they recognize that Ivies are home to some of the best and brightest pupils.
Did you know? More than half of the 114 Supreme Court Justices were students at Ivy League schools. All nine justices currently serving have either graduated from Yale University or Harvard University’s law schools.
