Lists and Rankings

California and Indiana Are in Pennsylvania (and Other Surprising Facts about Colleges)

Believe it or not, Madonna University was not founded by Madge herself. Read on to find more!

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• American University (Washington, DC): This school has a broad-based curriculum and is not only for political science/international affairs majors.
• Anna Maria College (Paxton, MA): Although some think of Anna Maria as a women's school, it is coed.
• Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA): No relation to the U of California, Berkeley, this Berklee is a music school in Boston.
• Brandeis University (Waltham, MA): This is a nonsectarian college appropriate for students of all religions (although the school has a Jewish heritage).
• California Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, CA): The student body is only about 40% Lutheran.
• California University of Pennsylvania (California, PA): Yes, there is a college with this name in Pennsylvania.
• Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA): Not just a school for scientists, Carnegie Mellon offers a broad curriculum in the arts.
• Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH): This is a comprehensive university and is not associated with the military.
• Colgate University (Hamilton, NY): This New York school was not founded by toothpaste barons.
• College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA): This is a public, selective, nonsectarian school in Williamsburg.
• Colorado School of Mines (Golden, CO): More than a mining or geological school, this college offers a broad-based science/engineering curriculum.
• Cornell College (Mount Vernon, IA): Not to be confused with the Ivy League institution in upper New York state, this Cornell is a small school in Iowa that operates on the distinctive one-course-at-a-time academic calendar.
• Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA): This is a public university, not a private school as some believe.
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Indiana, PA): Despite its name, this college is in Pennsylvania.
• Madonna University (Livonia, MI): The college has no relation to the rock legend.
• Miami University — Oxford (Oxford, OH): This school, located not far from Cincinnati, is often confused with the U of Miami in Florida.
• Mississippi University for Women (Columbus, MS): Despite the name, it is a coed institution.
• Oklahoma City University (Oklahoma City, OK): This is a private, Methodist college and not the public, nonreligious school that some mistake it for.
• Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA): Although "Lutheran" is in the name, the majority of students are not Lutheran.
• Pepperdine University (Malibu, CA): Pepperdine may be in Malibu and close to beach life, but it takes its religious origins seriously.
• Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, FL): This broad-based art school is not just for circus performers.
• Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey — New Brunswick (Piscataway, NJ): Although the name may be misleading, this is actually the state university of New Jersey.
• Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX): The university may be affiliated with the Methodists, but it is not a religion-driven school.
• St. John's College (Annapolis, MD): This school, known for teaching the Great Books, is not religious.
• St. John's College (Santa Fe, NM): This school, known for teaching the Great Books, is not religious.
• St. Mary's College of Maryland (St. Mary's City, MD): This is a public, non-church-related college.
• Temple University (Philadelphia, PA): Often mistaken for private, this is a public university in Philadelphia.
• Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX): While it has a Disciples of Christ origin, TCU welcomes students of all faiths and--according to its website--"of none."
• Texas Woman's University (Denton, TX): This is a coed institution.
• The George Washington University (Washington, DC): The university has a broad-based curriculum and is not only for political science/international affairs majors.
• The University of Tulsa (Tulsa, OK): This is a private, not a state-supported school.
• Transylvania University (Lexington, KY): The name may recall Dracula, but the word "transylvania" comes from the Latin and means "across the woods." The school was founded in a region scouted by Daniel Boone.
• University of Dallas (Irving, TX): This is a private, Catholic college, not a public, nonsectarian institution.
• University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS): Although the thought of Kansas may spark other images, the campus is located on rolling hills and has lush, green spaces.
• University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA): This is a public, coeducational college, and not a private, women's school.
• University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL): This school is in Florida, but in Coral Gables, not Miami.
• University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA): This is a private, selective, Ivy League college, not to be confused with Pennsylvania State U.
• University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA): Though urban, USC is not in the middle of South Central or the Watts section of Los Angeles.
• Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY): Some may persist in associating the name with a women's school, but Vassar has been coed since 1969.
• Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO): Many who hear the name assume this is a Washington state institution, but this university is located in St. Louis.