The 6 Most Colossal College Campuses in Pennsylvania Are Mindbogglingly Huge
Pennsylvania is a very diverse state. It has beautiful rolling countryside, peaceful mountains and also a happening city life. The colleges that call Pennsylvania home are also some of the largest and most beautiful in the country. One of those colleges could be its own small city! Find out some of the most colossal college campuses in Pennsylvania in this article. We promise they are each mind-bogglingly huge and will make your jaw drop.
1. Penn State – 7958 acres
The University of Pennsylvania, or simply Penn State as it is more commonly known, is one of the most impressive and largest campuses in the U.S. It could easily be its own small city at almost 8,000 acres! They boast that they offer 175 degrees and certificates for students to work towards, and it is one of the top colleges applied to, especially in Pennsylvania. Penn State is not a new name in the realm of education. They have been a place of education for over 125 years and have even offered online programs for decades. The students who call Penn State home certainly need the massive grounds to accommodate their huge number of 42,000 enrolled students! This is a highly athletic college with 60 Olympic medal wins overall!
Fun Fact: In 1855, Penn State began as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania. Later, in 1862, the school’s name changed to Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. Then again, in 1874, the school’s name finally became Pennsylvania State College.
2. Slippery Rock University – 660 acres
In 1889, the school, Slippery Rock State Normal School, was a teacher training school. In 1926, the school, bought by the Commonwealth in 1926, became a four-year college. Today, the college is home to approximately 9,000 liberal arts students. The massive and beautiful campus is one hour north of Pittsburgh. If education, the arts, entertainment, or sports are something you hold dear, check out Slippery Rock University.
3. Edinboro University – 585 acres
The spacious Edinboro University, which is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University, is located in the town of Edinboro. The town is located just south of Lake Erie in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania. The university began in 1857 and was originally a private training school for teachers. They offer more than 100 areas of study for their 6,000 – 7,000 students at any given time. The university is expansive and applauded for its services to its students with disabilities. The performing arts and sports are the main focus of the highly affordable university, and many natives of the area have graduated from the college. For a small university in population, it has plenty of room to stretch your legs.
4. Temple University – 406 acres
Temple University is THE Philadelphia University and is widely recognized as one of the best in the country. The campus setting is in downtown Philadelphia, so there is always plenty to do, great food all around, and lots of history. The university began in 1884 by a Baptist minister of the Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia. On May 12th, 1888, the university became Temple College of Philadelphia. In 1907, the college became incorporated as a research university. Temple has always been a more affordable choice for higher education with working-class families. It is currently home to more than 33,000 students.
5. West Chester University – 406 acres
West Chester University is located slightly west of Philadelphia and southwest of King of Prussia. The university is home to roughly 18,000 students, both undergraduate and graduate. During the years 1812 – 1869, the university, West Chester Academy, was a private state funded school. Following that time, the school became West Chester Normal School or West Chester State Normal School as founded on September 15th, 1871. It was an accredited state school and was one of the very first schools to be owned and run by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania symbolizing the beginning of an era and movement in education.
Later, in 1927, once the school became a four-year higher education school for teachers, it became West Chester State Teachers College. In 1960, with the addition of new liberal arts focuses, the school received a new name, becoming West Chester State College. It finally reached its long-lasting and hopefully permanent name in 1983 as the West Chester University of Pennsylvania. It remains a liberal arts school, though the primary major focus is on business management. The school, recognized for its formal poetry undergraduate achievement, has a large group of students focused on writing and literature.
6. Indiana University of Pennsylvania – 374 acres
In 1871, the initiation of the university began to take form as Indiana County investors began the Indiana Normal School. Since this was a school to aid teachers in their continued education, only one building was necessary for the 275 students that began class when the doors first opened in 1875. There was also a laboratory school within the structure to teach model-making to the soon-to-be-teachers. The state Commonwealth became the owner of the school in 1920, and by 1927, the school was renamed State Teachers College in Indiana.
In 1959, the school was once again renamed State Teachers College at Indiana and finally as Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1965. The Pennsylvania campus consists of 62 brick buildings on its large acreage. Since 2020, the school has been in financial trouble, with major layoffs occurring yearly. The student numbers continued to drop, and now there are approximately 9,000 students at the university.
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