15 Beautiful College Campuses

Campus beauty and design matter.

One way some universities are able to stand out and attract students is with the beauty of their campus. The aesthetics of a campus can sway students in their college choice.

“When you go to a college campus to decide where you’re going to get your education and spend a lot of money, you’re actually selecting your home for the next four years,” says Kevin Cooke, leader of the Higher Education Center of Excellence at Gilbane, a construction company that handles building projects for U.S. colleges and universities. “What you see and what your first impression is is really important.”

But what makes a college campus beautiful? That’s in the eye of the beholder, says Stefan Hyman, associate vice president of enrollment services at San Diego State University.

“I don’t know that there’s a single recipe for a beautiful campus that’s going to appear that way for every single student, because not every student has the exact same goal and priority list in terms of what they’re looking for,” he says. “In general, I think if there’s one term that sums it up, it would be a campus that has some form of character.”

Here are 15 U.S. colleges that are known for touting a beautiful campus with attributes such as stunning architecture, a picturesque setting or eye-popping landscaping.

Baylor University (TX)

Baylor University features many buildings with Georgian-style architecture, giving it a uniform look across campus. Founded in 1845, the campus sits in the heart of Waco in central Texas. Pat Neff Hall, with its shiny golden cupola, stands as the the most iconic landmark. However, the campus features both exterior and interior beauty, as many buildings showcase ornate copper ceilings and other intricate designs. Waco Creek also runs through the campus and serves as a picturesque and relaxing spot for students.

U.S. News rank: 77 (tie), National Universities

Flagler College (FL)

Established in 1968, Flagler College‘s roots trace back to 1888, when the Hotel Ponce De León was built by industrialist Henry Flagler, a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company. The hotel, which features Spanish Renaissance style architecture with a tan stucco facade and red tile roofing, was an early project of architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings, who went on to design the New York Public Library and the House and Senate office buildings in Washington, D.C., according to the school’s website. The interior features stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany. In 1968, Flagler College was established in St. Augustine, Florida, with the famous hotel serving as its main campus building.

U.S. News rank: 2, Regional Colleges South

Harvard University (MA)

The oldest university in the United States, Harvard University offers a glimpse into the past when it comes to architecture. There are roughly 660 buildings that make up the Boston-area campus, showcasing hundreds of years of American architecture and innovative design. Massachusetts Hall is the oldest building on campus and features early Georgian-style architecture, with “simple construction, symmetry, and modest accents,” according to The Harvard Gazette.

U.S. News rank: 3, National Universities

Indiana University–Bloomington

Nearly all of the buildings on the campus of Indiana University–Bloomington are made from local limestone, and the campus features about eight different styles of architecture. Many of the school’s first buildings were created in what’s known as Collegiate Gothic style architecture, a modified version of High Victorian Gothic, though other buildings feature styles such as Romanesque, Art Deco and Modern, according to the school’s website. The building design creates a uniform look and feel as students stroll through campus, often passing through the Sample Gates, which were built in 1987 and now serve as the iconic entrance to the campus. Vibrant colors line the trees in the fall, while snow often covers the campus in the winter.

U.S. News rank: 72 (tie), National Universities

Kenyon College (OH)

The oldest private college in Ohio, Kenyon College was founded in 1824. Its Gothic-inspired buildings sprawl across a spacious 1,000-acre rural campus on a hilltop surrounded by trees and wooded areas in the central Ohio city of Gambier. Rosse Hall, built between 1829 and 1845 in Greek Revival style, is Kenyon College’s first chapel, according to the Society of Architectural Historians. A fire destroyed it in 1897, and the building was later converted to a gymnasium and was renovated in 1975 to resemble its original form. It’s now used as a 600-seat concert and lecture hall.

U.S. News rank: 31 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges

Pepperdine University (CA)

“You can’t change the location,” Cooke says. “Some of these colleges are very lucky to be in the location that they are.” One school that can stake that claim is Pepperdine University in California. Formed in 1937 and situated atop a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, Pepperdine gives students and faculty a view most college students don’t get. The university’s buildings “were designed to complement the ocean-side setting by using a modern interpretation of the Mediterranean Revival style,” according to the Los Angeles Conservancy.

U.S. News rank: 55 (tie), National Universities

Salve Regina University (RI)

Located in Newport, Rhode Island, Salve Regina University is home to seven mansions built during the Gilded Age, which roughly spanned from 1877-1896. The 80-acre campus, which is situated on the Atlantic Ocean, also features “more than 20 historic structures that have been sensitively adapted to meet University needs while also preserving their status as treasures of the 19th and early 20th centuries,” according to the school’s website.

U.S. News rank: 28 (tie), Regional Universities North

San Diego State University (CA)

Like many universities in California, San Diego State University features Mission-style design in its buildings, with white stucco facades and red tile roofs that blend in with the architecture of the city. The design of the campus plays off of its sunny environment, Hyman says, with open outdoor corridors lined with palm trees, flower gardens and buildings with large windows. Hyman says SDSU uses what’s called “value-sensitive design,” which demonstrates an intentional effort to accommodate the values and interests of the people it seeks to attract. One unique way it does that is by providing skateboard-specific lanes for skaters to navigate across campus. “The fact that you’re actually designing the campus with skateboarding in mind is such a SoCal thing,” Hyman says. “So it’s not just the beauty, it’s the character that’s displayed in the values. Whether on a conscious or unconscious level, that impacts student perception.”

U.S. News rank: 151 (tie), National Universities

Stanford University (CA)

Another picturesque California college setting can be found at Stanford University, located in Palo Alto just south of San Francisco. Featuring a blend of Romanesque and Mission Revival architecture known as Richardsonian Romanesque, the general concept for the campus design was conceived by Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park in New York City, according to the school’s website. Founded in 1885, Stanford University now spans nearly 13 square miles and is full of grassy fields, eucalyptus groves and rolling hills.

U.S. News rank: 3 (tie), National Universities

Swarthmore College (PA)

Located southwest of Philadelphia, Swarthmore College is centered around Parrish Hall, a Victorian-era building constructed in 1868 that was the first building on the campus. The Scott Arboretum is a popular spot to visit, featuring gardens of hydrangeas, lilacs and tree peonies and countless other trees and shrubs, according to the arboretum’s website. The campus also features an outdoor amphitheater with multiple levels of lawn-covered stone tiers shaded by tulip trees. Throughout the school’s 425 acres are many wooded areas and trails for walking.

U.S. News rank: 4, National Liberal Arts Colleges

University of Colorado Boulder

As visually appealing as the campus itself may be, with its sandstone buildings and tile roofs in a romantic Italianate style, perhaps one of the biggest perks of attending the University of Colorado Boulder is the view of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Fans attending evening football games at Folsom Field are often greeted with a sunset just behind the mountains, creating a picturesque setting for college football. Those with outdoor hobbies like hiking or skiing can feel right at home in Boulder.

U.S. News rank: 97 (tie), National Universities

University of Notre Dame (IN)

Inspired by Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, many of the buildings on the University of Notre Dame‘s campus in South Bend are modeled after Gothic architecture. A highlight is the Main Building, with its iconic gold dome, which stands at the center of campus and tells the storied past of this famed Catholic university. The current building, built in 1879 after the previous building was destroyed by fire, is the third structure at that site, according to the school’s website. Today it primarily houses offices for administration, though some classrooms remain. It previously served as a spot for teaching, dining and living. The dome, which features a 19-foot, 4,000-pound statue of Mary, was added in 1882 and re-gilded in 2005. The Fighting Irish football team dons golden helmets as a nod to the dome.

U.S. News rank: 18 (tie), National Universities

University of Vermont

Founded in 1791, the University of Vermont is the fifth-oldest university in New England. Its 460-acre campus features buildings constructed in a variety of architectural styles. The Old Mill — which now serves as the home for the economics, English, geography and political science departments — is one of the oldest building on campus. The university’s first college building once occupied the site where the Old Mill is now, but it was destroyed by fire in 1824, according to the school’s website.

The campus itself sits near Lake Champlain in the middle of Burlington, which is located in northwest Vermont. Snow typically covers the campus in colder months, while vibrant and colorful trees line the campus in the fall. “I think it’s very hard to beat the four-season type environment when you think about campuses like UVM or even the Harvards of the world,” Cooke says.

U.S. News rank: 121 (tie), National Universities

University of Virginia

Founded by former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University of Virginia’s iconic red brick buildings and white columns were inspired by Greco-Roman architecture and Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladia, according to the Cultural Landscape Foundation, a nonprofit landscape heritage advocacy and education organization. Anchored by the famous Rotunda, Jefferson’s Academical Village has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university’s Charlottesville campus also features examples of postmodernist architecture.

U.S. News Rank: 25 (tie), National Universities

University of Washington

Situated next to Lake Washington in Seattle, the University of Washington gives students a big-city experience along with a taste of just about everything associated with the Pacific Northwest — lush greenery next to a large body of water with views of mountains in the distance. From various spots on campus, particularly Rainier Vista, you can catch a view of Mt. Rainier to the south. In the spring, a line of 30 Yoshino cherry trees blossom, lining the liberal arts quadrangle with a bright shade of pink, according to University of Washington Magazine.

U.S. News rank:> 55 (tie), National Universities

Other Campus Resources

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Colleges With Beautiful Campuses

— Baylor University

— Flagler College

— Harvard University

— Indiana University–Bloomington

— Kenyon College

— Pepperdine University

— Salve Regina University

— San Diego State University

— Stanford University

— Swarthmore College

— University of Colorado Boulder