College and University Blog

With so many of the prettiest college campuses in the world located right here in the United States, it’s tough to narrow things down and select the most beautiful college campuses.

Together with the five gorgeous colleges and universities mentioned yesterday, the five schools described and pictured below round out our list of some of the most beautiful U.S. college campuses. Their lush landscaping, gorgeous buildings, and pure natural beauty are definitely easy on the eyes—and let’s not forget all of the learning that goes on!

1. Cornell University | Ithaca, NY

Cornell University is a private Ivy League school located in Ithaca, a picturesque town in upstate New York. The main campus, which overlooks the town and Cayuga Lake, is comprised of buildings designed in many architectural styles including Collegiate Gothic, Victorian, Neoclassical, and modernist. Several of the buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the school is also home to Cornell Plantations, a 2800-acre botanical garden.

Cornell University

2. Florida Southern College | Lakeland, FL

Florida Southern College is a little-known private college located in Lakeland, FL. The 113-acre campus is comprised of roughly 64 buildings and has the claim to fame of having the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the world. The collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture is called Child of the Sun. The buildings were completed between 1941 and 1958 and are included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Florida Southern College

3. Princeton University | Princeton, NJ

Princeton University is a private Ivy League university located in Princeton, NJ. Established in 1746, its campus contains buildings from the 1700s as well as modern times. The Collegeiate Gothic architecture style is a common sight on campus. The southern side of Princeton’s campus faces the scenic man-made Lake Carnegie and the campus is home to the celebrated Princeton University Chapel, the world’s third-largest college chapel.

Princeton University

4. Stanford University | Palo Alto, CA

Stanford University is a private research university located in Stanford, an unincorporated area adjacent to the city of Palo Alto, CA. The area is known as Silicon Valley. Although most of the Stanford campus was destroyed during the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, several buildings on the 8000-acre campus survived the quake. Stanford is home to several beautiful buildings that were designed in a Spanish-colonial style known as Mission Revival.

Stanford University

5. University of Colorado at Boulder | Boulder, CO

The University of Colorado’s flagship campus is located in Boulder, CO at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The university not only has picturesque surroundings, it has its own distinct architectural style known as Tuscan Vernacular Revival. The oldest buildings on campus were designed in the Collegiate Gothic style but architect Charles Klauder updated his designs with textured sandstone walls; sloping red0tiled roofs, and limestone trim, offering a rugged yet classical appearance.

University of Colorado at Boulder

Posted on 2 Nov

Melissa Rhone+

Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.