You and your colleagues in higher education leadership take immense pride in your campuses. Travel + Leisure magazine has released a new ranking of the 30 most beautiful college campuses from a traveler’s perspective. The list features a handful of already iconic campuses and some lesser-known gems, including a Georgia college that is small enrollment-wise but massive in size.
Here’s a closer look at the top five, with Travel + Leisure‘s highlights from each scenically stunning campus, along with the rest of the top 30:
- Stanford University: What makes this Northern California campus No. 1 begins with the palm-lined entrance leading to the main quad and continues with the iconic red roofs and hallmark tower of the Memorial Chapel.
- Berry College: This rural, 2,000-student Georgia school boasts the largest contiguous campus in the U.S. at 27,000 acres. But it’s not just the sheer size that makes Berry College No. 2—it’s the fields, lakes, forests and mountains along with manmade reflecting pools, fountains and Gothic-inspired buildings.
- University of Notre Dame: The wonders start with the iconic golden dome of the Indiana school’s main campus. Then there is the Gothic Basilica of the Sacred Heart and grounds, “chock-full of lush quads.”
- Florida Southern College: No Gothic behemoths here. The small private school claims the most Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings of any campus in the U.S. and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012.
- Bard College: Artworks and contemporary architecture anchor this campus along New York’s Hudson River. The school also makes the most of its waterfront, highlighted by its Gilded Age economics building.
- University of San Diego
- Rice University
- Cornell University
- The University of the South
- University of Washington
Take a tour of campuses 10-30 on Travel + Leisure‘s list here.
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