The evolution of colleges in the United States reflects the country’s changing values, priorities and needs. From the first higher education institution, Harvard, which started primarily to train young white men to become ministers, to today’s many diverse sprawling campuses which have programs in almost any field imaginable, it is clear that colleges have changed dramatically. Increased access, expansion of curriculum and greater federal investments all led to more inclusive campuses, and an educated America.  

18th Century- Early Colleges and Curriculum 

The history of colleges in the United States starts before the establishment of the country itself. Harvard University, the first higher education institution in the US, was founded in 1636 in the early colonial stages of America. Before the revolutionary war, nine colleges had already been established, these included what are now present day Yale, Princeton, and Brown University. Their curriculum was modeled after European universities like Oxford and Cambridge.  

Early American colleges were established by religious groups and the curriculum mainly focused on religious studies. According to Early Curriculum at Harvard: Historical Sources from the Harvard Library, most students trained to become protestant clergymen. They were taught history, theology, Latin, Greek and mathematics. Colleges had very small class sizes and only accepted upper-class white men. The main purpose of college during this time period was to train a very certain demographic of young wealthy white men to become religious leaders, meaning that it was not an opportunity for upward mobility, but an elitist exclusive institution.  

Near the end of the colonial era, science, politics and law became part of the curriculum. Colleges moved from ministry and religious training to education and preparation which applies to many more fields. Law became a popular subject in the colonies as young men became interested in politics and government with tensions brewing between the colonies and British monarchy. In contrast, training for medicine usually happened through apprenticeships during the colonial era, medicine didn’t become an established field of study in college until after the revolutionary war, at the end of the 18th century. This evolution in curriculum happened slowly over the course of almost a hundred years.  

19th Century- Demographic Changes 

In addition to the evolving curriculum, colleges saw changes in demographics after the American Revolutionary War. Colleges in the 18th century were exclusively male, and predominantly English puritans. In 1837, Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was founded by Mary Lyon in Massachusetts. As listed in The Founding of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary the women only college taught Latin, Greek, calculus and philosophy, which weren’t taught at other women’s seminaries at that time. Mount Holyoke is the first female university in the U.S. that still operates as a women’s college today. Also in 1837, Oberlin College became the first coeducational school and opened its doors to women. Women soon composed nearly half of their student population. A few more private schools followed example and started accepting women. In the later half of the 19th century, post-Civil War, strides were made in women’s higher education with the establishment of many more female colleges. Based on the National Center for Educational Statistics, the percentage of female college students increased from 20% in 1870, to nearly 50% in 1930.  

Oberlin College, in Ohio, (the first coeducational college) held strong anti-slavery views and was also one of the first colleges to open its doors to black students in the 1830s. Following the civil war, in the Reconstruction era (1865-1877), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were established. These were often established in the south by Protestant religious organizations and were controversial at the time of their beginning. Leaders argued for higher education institutions for people of color in a time where segregation laws were upheld, while others cautioned against self-segregation. The first HBCU to open after the Civil War in the Southern states was Clark Atlanta University in 1865. It was a major milestone as it was the first college to grant graduate degrees to African Americans.  

As colleges opened their doors to more people, barriers due to income were also addressed. In 1847, the City College of New York was established as the first free public higher education institution in the U.S. Since admissions were based on merit and not income, it became a popular choice for immigrants, lower income communities, and the working class. It was nicknamed the ‘The Poor-Man’s Harvard’ and stood as a symbol for upward mobility.  

The passing of the first and second Morrill Act in 1862 and 1890 respectively was a defining moment for colleges in the U.S. The first Morrill Act created land-grant universities that taught subjects in engineering and agriculture. These subjects differentiated certain colleges from elitist religious institutions to education and professional training for all. It made education more accessible, and carved a path towards research and innovation, especially in the fields of mechanics and agriculture. The second Morrill Act passed in 1890 required states to build separate colleges for African American students if they had existing racial restrictions and segregation laws which led to many establishments. Due to the federal funds, research for efficient agriculture, rapid technological innovation and a more skilled workforce laid the ground to pushing the United States into a leading economic force in the world.  

20th Century- Rapid Growth 

As more people demanded education, the beginning of the 20th century introduced rapid growth in enrollment, programs and the building of college campuses. As mentioned by Wally Boston “The number of colleges in the U.S. nearly doubled to 977 from 1860 to 1900.” Graduate programs started to appear as schools like Harvard, Yale, and John Hopkins University started focusing on developing PhD programs. Enrollment rose dramatically, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, from 1870 to 1910, the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the U.S. grew from 9,400 to 37,200 versus from 1910 to 1950, the growth was from 37,200 to 827,000. However, even as enrollment increased, the percentage of Americans holding a college degree was still low, under 10% as stated by Wally Boston.  

During World War II enrollment temporarily decreased, and in response, congress passed The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, (also called the GI Bill) in 1944 which provided veterans with funding for college education. This provided the incentive that created a sudden rise in enrollment. The surge of students were mostly male veterans, however, the gender disparity in enrollment slowly ended by the year 2000, after which women gradually became the majority of college students in the United States.  

In Wally Boston’s The Evolution of U.S. Higher Education: A 380-Year History, he writes another major milestone that resulted in growth for higher education, the passing of the Higher Education Act in 1965. This act introduced federal grants, loans, and work-study programs. It created the legal framework for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and the Pell Grant, something most students still rely on to this day. The aim of this act was to make higher education more affordable and accessible to lower-income students.  

Today- Shifting Landscape 

In 2025, college enrollment has risen to about 40% for young adults aged 18-25 years old. It is a norm and expectation for highschoolers to prepare for college applications during their junior year. According to the Education Data Initiative, the peak year for enrollment was 2010, now it has started to decline due to factors like the contradicting attitudes towards college for young people. Additionally, due to high tuition prices, college debt, and the job market, many young people are left questioning their higher education decisions. Almost all well-paying jobs in healthcare, technology, business and education require expensive degrees, but those expensive degrees don’t always guarantee jobs. Alternatives like trade school and community colleges are becoming a desirable option due to lower costs. Discussions on the value of certain degrees and the importance of learning critical thinking skills are being had. Online degrees are also becoming more popular, making education accessible to even more people by removing physical barriers. For some, college still symbolizes an opportunity for upward mobility, while others see it as a broken system that needs reform. With current federal budget cuts in higher education, the question lies in whether Americans see college as an institution that needs to shrink or be reformed.  

Today the University of Washington Bothell, founded in 1990, stands to serve over 6,000 students. As a newer campus, it represents the latest step of the history of colleges in the U.S. The campus currently values inclusivity and access to education for all, with a diverse student population and low student debt rates. The majority of the student population are people of color. Based on the Student Diversity statistics on UW Bothell Fast Facts, 34% of students are Asian, 10% are Hispanic, 10% are African American, and 5% are international students. In 2024, PayScale ranked UW Bothell #1 on its list of Best Value Colleges in the state of Washington. As students enter into the 2025-2026 school year, they may reflect on the changes they want to see on campus. Students can connect with The Associated Students of the University of Washington Bothell (ASUWB), student representative who advocate for students at UWB, to voice their ideas and concerns. Find more information on their website https://www.uwb.edu/asuwb/.